Ireland Map by Herman Moll - 1723

Description

This original 1723 engraved map of Ireland by Herman Moll is paired with the facing text leaf describing the island’s geography, people, and provinces. Moll’s clean, practical design shows the four provinces Munster, Leinster, Connaught, and Ulster – each divided into its historic counties, with towns and coastal features crisply engraved. Beneath the map appears a county index and early notes on ecclesiastical divisions.

The accompanying text opens with an ethnographic account of Ireland and its inhabitants, including the striking colonial remark that some “live at a loose, unciviliz’d rate, and are therefore termed Wild Irish.” Together, map and text capture the Enlightenment’s mixture of curiosity and control: Ireland depicted as both studied and subdued.

Historical Context

Moll’s information derived from earlier English and Dutch sources – notably John Speed (1611) and William Petty’s Down Survey (1650s) – the foundational works that fixed Ireland’s county boundaries after Tudor and Cromwellian conquest. By 1723 these lines were accepted as “official,” giving Moll’s readers a vision of Ireland fully ordered within the British realm.

Condition

Very good, with crisp impression, strong platemark, and only faint show-through from the reverse. This impression shows a slight tilt of the plate, a normal result of hand-press printing that underscores the individuality of each sheet. Minor age toning consistent with the period.

Artist

Herman Moll was a German-born engraver who rose to prominence in London’s vibrant print trade. A regular at the coffee-houses of Defoe, Dampier, and Hooke, he turned maps into both scientific tools and political statements – clear, bold, and unmistakably British in tone.

Dimensions

Sheet ≈ 8.5 × 13.5 in (21.5 × 34 cm)

This impression shows a slight tilt of the plate on the sheet, a normal feature of hand-press printing in the early 18th century. Such quirks underline the authenticity of Moll’s work, reminding us each map was individually pulled by hand.

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