Blome’s Map of Cornwall

Blome published the first new series of county maps in the sixty years since the appearance of John Speed’s ‘Theatre’.

In the straightened financial environment of post-Restoration London, Blome was forced to rely on innovative funding sources: he was one of the first publishers of illustrated books to rely heavily on subscriptions.

Subscribers to the Britannia were entitled to have their coats of arms (Blome began his career as a heraldic painter) engraved on a map of their choice. His map of Cornwall is dedicated to John Granville, Earl of Bath, an active royalist who played a leading role in the Restoration.

Condition & Materials

Copper engraving, 24.2 x 31.2 cm, map of Cornwall with modern hand-colour, blank verso.

References

Skelton, County Atlases, 90.