• Title : Guillaue De L Isle Geb. zu Paris d. 28 Febr. 1675 gest. ebendas d. 25 Jan 1726
• Date : 1808
  
• Size: 7in x 4 1/2in (180mm x 115mm)
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Ref:  91417

Description:
This original copper-plate engraved antique print, a portrait of the famous cartographer Guillaume Delisle, by Jean Henri Cless was published in 1808 in Allgemeine Geographische Ephemeriden' (Universal Geographical Ephemerides (i.e. encyclopedia) by Friedrich Bertuch

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: -
Colors used: -
General color appearance: -
Paper size: - 7in x 4 1/2in (180mm x 115mm)
Plate size: - 5 1/2in x 3 1/2in (140mm x 90mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Background:
Following the long period of Dutch domination, the Homann family became the most important map publishers in Germany in the eighteenth century, the business being founded by J.B. Homann in Nuremberg about the year 1702. Soon after publishing his first atlas in 1707 he became a member of the Berlin academy of Sciences and in 1715 he was appointed Geographer to the Emperor. After the founder's death in 1724, the firm was continued under the direction of his son until 1730 and was then bequeathed to his heirs on the condition that it trades under the name of Homann Heirs. The firm remained in being until the next century and had a wide influence on map publishing in Germany. Apart from the atlases the firm published a very large number of individual maps.
The Homman's produced a Neuer Atlas in 1714, a Grosser Atlas in 1737, and an Atlas Maior with about 300 maps in 1780. They also issued a special Atlas of Germany with full sized plans of principal cities, school atlases and an Atlas of Silesia in 1750 with 20 maps.

Cless, Jean Henri 1774- 1812
A pupil of Jacques-Louis David , he began to be active around 1800 and exhibited in Paris at the Salons from 1804 to 1808.
According to the Thieme-Becker 2 artistic dictionary , he returned to Alsace in 1811 , where many private collections hold his works.
Cless was also a draftsman and miniaturist .