DESCRIPTION: A scarce Spanish antique nautical chart of a large area now encompassing St. Petersburg and Tampa, Florida, and all of Tampa Bay. With anchorages identified, depth soundings, and several Spanish place-names. One unidentified location, "Cayo de Aguada" or Watering Key, remains unknown to me. That location likely would have been very attractive to pirates and privateers as it offered both close proximity to fresh water and to the nearby deeper entrance channels to Tampa Bay.
Contains numerous coastal locations with their second-Spanish period names: Longboat Key ("Id. Larga"), Passage Key ("Cayo del Passage"), Sweetwater Creek ("Rio de Aguadulce"), Little Manatee River ("Rio de Manaties"), Point Pinellas (Punta de Pinar [Sp. pine]). During the research for Spanish place-names our search turned up an exact match for "Punta de Piedras" or Rocky Point on the northeast shore of Old Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, that location for "Punta de Piedras" is on the wrong side of the bay. The search continues.
From the second part of "Portolano de la America...", published in 1818 by Spain's Admiralty department, the Dirección de Hidrografía. In 1809 the Direccion first published this atlas of plans of bays, harbors, and ports from Spain’s New World possessions: "Portolano de la America Septentrional Construido en la Direccion de Trabajos Hidrograficos". Plate 36.
PUBLICATION DATE: 1818
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United States
BODY OF WATER: Tampa Bay
CONDITION: Very Good.
On quality heavy laid paper. Clean. Two repaired wormholes within the image are not noticeable, and a confirmation that the sheet has age to it. A good impression.
COLORING: Fine, simple hand-coloring by wash technique.
ENGRAVER: T. Gonzalez
SIZE: 10
" x
7 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 200
PRICE: $1650
ADD TO CART
|