Antonelli, Bautista, 1547-1616: Cartas ynstruciones y cedulas de su magestad i fortificaciones echas porel in genero

Volume contains descriptions and pictorial watercolours of Antoneli's engineering plans for fortifications of some of the cities and towns along the shores of the Americas.

The manuscript includes a holograph note by Turnbull laid in (ink on folded sheet of unwatermarked wove paper, 13 x 20 cm), stating: "This M.S. 'Cartas Instruciones y cedulas ...' of Bautista Antoneli, 1608, was bought by Bernard Quaritch [for 47 £] at Lord Amherst's sale at Sotheby's in Dec 1908 & purchased by me from him immediately afterwards. It is an extremely interesting work with valuable plans of towns & forts in America. [etc]".

The bookplate of Lord Amherst is found on the front pastedown, and the bookplate of Alexander Turnbull on manuscript page 119.

The manuscript is housed in a solander case (blue morocco with raised bands and title and detailing in gilt), with a binder's statement in minute gilt lettering "Fire-resisting case made by Zaehnsdorf".

Publication - The title-page, prefactory leaf and two of the plans are reproduced in facsimile and published in `The True history of the conquest of New Spain' by B Diaz del Castillo (Hakluyt Society Set II, vol. 23, 1908).

Enclosures - includes typescript note: "This manuscript, Cartas instructiones y Cedulas ... 1608, by Bautista Antoneli, contains 26 original maps and plans in water-colour, among them plans of towns and forts in America. Most of the mapping of the Spanish domains in America in the 16th and 17th centuries was done through the administrative offices of the vice royalties of Mexico and Peru, for the powers in Spain - the Casa de la Contratacion (Board of Overseas Trade), the Council of the Indies, and the King. Most maps produced by local surveys are therefore in official Spanish repositories, such as the Archivo General de Simancas, and the Archivo de Indias at Seville."

Inscriptions: Recto - top centre - Sacado de la libraria del Maches di Liche en Madrid Januar. 8 Ao 1690 | por J[ean] G[abriel] Sparwenfeldt [Ownership inscription in ink]; Recto - bottom centre - Sno 26 Nº 11 [Library reference number in ink]

Bautista Antonelli (name rendered as Antoneli in Spanish) was a military architect from a prestigious Italian family of military engineers in the service of the Habsburg monarchs of Austria and Spain.

Lord Amherst of Hackney collected rare books and manuscripts, tapestries, antique furniture, and other works of art for more than fifty years. "In 1906 he was forced to sell a large portion of his collection after discovering that his estate and certain trust funds had been entirely dissipated at the hands of an untrustworthy solicitor under whose management they had been placed. He lived only six weeks following the auction of the last lot from this collection", (see 'The New York Times', 18 January 1909, page 9).

Alexander Horsburgh Turnbull was honorary vice-consular representative for Spain.

Quantity: 1 volume(s) (275 numbered [and 10 blank] pages).

Physical Description: Manuscript, ink and watercolour on handmade unwatermarked laid paper in sewn limp vellum binding, with two pasted bookplates, 24.5 x 18 cm.

Provenance: Based on internal evidence found on the title-page, the manuscript was once in the library of Gaspar Méndez de Haro, 7th Marquis of Carpio, and was acquired by Johan Gabriel Sparwenfeld in January 1690. It was inherited by Méndez de Haro from his father, Luis Méndez de Haro, 6th Marquis of Carpio, and was previously owned by his uncle, Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel, 1st Duke of Sanlúcar, 3rd Count of Olivares. The Sparwenfeld provenance was confirmed by Dr Felipe Vidales del Castillo (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), who provided the further provenance details relating to the 6th Marquis of Carpio and the Count Duke of Olivares, July 2021.

Listed in 'Bibliotheca Hispana: Literature, language, and history of Spain and Portugal' (London: Bernard Quaritch, 15 August 1879), catalogue entry 16491.

Listed in 'A classified list of the books in Messrs. Sotheby. Wilkinson & Hodge's sale catalogue of Lord Amherst of Hackney's Library', lot 27. The entry (Lot 27), listed in the 'Catalogue of the magnificent library of Valuable Books & Manuscripts, the property of the Rt. Hon. Lord Amherst of Hackney', is described as follows: "27 Antoneli (Bautista) Cartas Instructiones y Cedulas de su Magestad, I fortificaciones echas por el ingenero Bautista Antoneli; ansi en espana como en las Yndias Occidentales; con las plantas y discrepciones de los puertos y costas, etc. ano de 1608, AUTHOR'S ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT (274 pp.) neatly written, with 26 original plans drawn in water-colours of forts, fortifications, sea charts, etc. some of Spanish America, dedicated to the King of Spain (Philip III), limp vellum. sm. 4to. 1608".

Typescript note states: "This manuscript chart of the Strait of Magellan is in Bautista Antoneli's 1608 'Cartas Instructiones y Cedulas', bought at Sotheby's in December 1908 by the great London bookseller Bernard Quaritch and sold by him to Mr Turnbull immediately afterwards."

26 original plans in watercolour of forts, etc including some of South America

Processing information: Archivists notes - Record enhanced and updated following presentation at Donor's Day 2015 (September 2015).