1770 – T. C. Lotter – Statua Regum Europaeorum

Title:                      “Statua Regum Europaeorum P.C.N. Nomina Continens”​
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Description:

A large hand-colored copper engraving showing an allegorical crowned king, scepter in hand, whose entire body serves as a genealogical chart: inscribed across his torso, apron, and legs, organized by century from the 1st through the 18th (“I. Seculum” through “XVIII. Seculum”) and by kingdom (Reges Hispaniae, Franciae, Scotiae, Angliae, Poloniae, Sveciae, Daniae, Hungariae, Portugalliae, and others), are the names and regnal dates of Europe’s rulers. A separate boxed panel at lower right lists the Tsars of Russia through the 18th century, ending with Catherine II given with no closing date. Each ruler’s entry carries a small symbol — sun, planets, or other marks — keyed to a legend at lower left (“Clavis ad Characteres” / “Schlüssel zu den Characteren”) that decodes each one: a sun denotes an excellent and virtuous prince, Jupiter a famous and generous one beloved by his people, Mars a warlike ruler (victorious if crowned with a ray), Saturn a cruel one hated by his subjects, and further marks for death in battle, violent death, abdication, deposition, captivity, or madness — an unusually elaborate mnemonic device for compressing centuries of dynastic history onto a single sheet.

The margins carry two heraldic clusters. At upper left, a double-headed Habsburg eagle is surrounded by ten labeled shields for the Austrian hereditary lands — Hungary, Bohemia, Dalmatia, Croatia, Sclavonia, Austria, Burgundy, Styria, Tyrol, and Carinthia — with a plainer, unlabeled eagle repeated just below it, framing the royal crown and scepter resting on a cushion. At right, a grid of further shields corresponds to the kingdoms named in the body text: Portugal’s quinas and castles; Hungary’s Árpád stripes and patriarchal cross; a quartered England/Great Britain incorporating Ireland’s harp, and arms for Castile; France paired with Navarre; quartered heraldry featuring the Eagle (Orzeł Biały) of Poland and the Chaser (Vytis / Pogoń) of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania; Bohemia crowned lion with a double tail; Denmark with three crowned lions with hearts; coat of arms of the Kingdom of Sardinia, featuring the distinctive “Four Moors” (Quattro Mori).

The design is credited by A. Scheller (“delin.”), engraved by E. Eichel (“sculps.”), and published by Tobias Conrad Lotter in Augsburg (“Geogr. excudit Aug. Vind.”).

T. C. Lotter married into and took over much of the output of Matthäus Seutter’s Augsburg firm, one of the leading German map and print houses of the 18th century; this same composition also circulated earlier under Seutter’s own imprint.

Designer:            August Scheller (1719–1790)
Engraver:           Emanuel Eichel (1717–1782)

Publisher:             Tobias Conrad Lotter ( 1717 – 1777 )
Sheet size:             63,5 x 53,5 cm
Year:                        1770
Technique:            copper engraving
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Condition:
Very good condition. Original, contemporary, hand coloring. Few marginal restorations.
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This is an original antique map published in 1770 and not a modern copy or reprint