Antique Map of the Strait of Gibraltar made just after the Great Spanish Siege of 1727

By: Homann Heirs

Date: 1730 (dated) Nuremberg

Dimensions: 22.5 x 19 inches (57.2 x 48.25 cm)

This is an authentic antique map of the Strait of Gibraltar by Homann Heirs. The map was published out of Nuremberg in 1730.

This extremely attractive map of the Strait of Gibraltar was a collaborative effort between Jean de Petit (royal engineer and architect) and Johann Friedrich Weidler (mathematician and astronomer at Witenberg). The map covers southern Spain and the northern tip of Morocco, including the towns of Malaga, Marabella, Gibrantar, Algezira, Ceuta, Tangiers, and Cadiz to name a few. This lovely wash colored map exhibits great detail showing forts, cities, farms, mountains, local roads and rivers. The sea is embellished with a lovely compass rose and three sailing ships.

The map was made just a few years after the Siege of Gibraltar (1727) in which Spanish forces besieged the British garrison of Gibraltar as part of the Anglo-Spanish War. Spanish troops numbered upwards of 20,000, maybe more depending on sources. British defenders were 1,500 at the beginning of the siege, increasing up to about 5,000. After a five-month siege with several unsuccessful and costly assaults, Spanish troops gave up and withdrew. Following the failure the war drew to a close, opening the way for the 1728 Treaty of El Pardo and the Treaty of Seville signed in 1729.

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