The first Spanish Sea Atlas, bound in full red morocco for the King of Spain.

The Esferica de la costa de España en el Mediterráneo y de su correspondiente de Africa, printed ca. 1786-1787 in Madrid by Joaquin de Ibarra´s widow was the first Spanish maritime atlas, though no title was issued, it is known as. The atlas was compiled and elaborated by Vicente Tofiño de San Miguel, and comprises 15 double page maps, and was here presented in a fascinating red morocco binding with the arms of the King of Spain.

The distribution of the maps was as follows: 11 double page maps of the Mediterranean coast –mostly dated 1786- and 4 costal profile views, also double page; amongst the maps, those of Gibraltar, Algeciras, the Baleares, Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca, Mahon, are remarkable.

This is the true first edition, and the first part published, which was later published as part of a major work in 1789, under the title Atlas maritimo de España, including the second part of this work; this is, however, complete as issued, and exactly as the Wardington copy (Sotheby´s, The Wardington Library: Atlases, Part II, 2006, lot 514, £ 31,200).

“It was commissioned by King Carlos III, King of Naples and Sicily (1734–1759) and of Spain (1759–1788) on the advice of Antonio Valdes, the Minister of the Navy. The work was enntrusted to Tofino in June 1783, who was then Brigadier in command of the Midshipmen’s Academy. The first volume appeared in 1787 without title-page and the second in 1789 without text. So great was its success that a second edition of the whole work, the complete Pilot, was published the same year, this time with the text together with two further charts” (Wardington Catalogue).

The Maritime Atlas was the first published by the Spanish Crown, historically renowned for having a severe policy of secrecy regarding their maritime and cartographical knowledge. This is arguably the most significant cartographical production in Spain of the 18^th century, and a foundation of Spanish modern cartography.

Tofiño de San Miguel was a preeminent Spanish cosmographer and cartographer; he studied physics and worked with Jorge Juan as professor of the Academia de Guardias Marinas of Cadiz. As a military officer, he participated of the expedition against Argel in 1773 and the siege of Gibraltar in 1782.

Phillips, A list of geographical atlases in the Library of Congress, 5285. Shirley, Maps in the Atlases of the British Library, M.TOF1f.