Lot 116: THE KINGDOM OF IRELAND and THE FOUR PROVINCES (SET OF FIVE), circa 1584-93 After John Speed (1552-1629) Medium: sixteenth century engraved maps

THE KINGDOM OF IRELAND and THE FOUR PROVINCES (SET OF FIVE), circa 1584-93 After John Speed (1552-1629) Medium: sixteenth century engraved maps with later hand colouring Measure: 8 by 12cm., 3.25 by 4.75in. A set of five 'miniature Speed' maps, modified from Speed's A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World by the Dutch engraver Pieter Van Den Keere (1571-1646). The publishers of Speed's Prospect retained the original plates and engaged Van Den Keere to rework many of them, prior to reissuing them in the present miniature format, circa 1584-93.