Map of the Philippines from 1734 sells for $237,300 at auction

ARTS — The 1734 Murillo Velarde Map – Auctioned at Sotheby’s London on Nov. 4, 2014 (Lot No. 183) – Sold Under the Hammer $267,300

A map of the Philippines has been sold to an anonymous Filipino at London’s Sotheby’s Auction House.

The map, sold by the Duke of Northumberland, was made by Murill Velarde in 1734. Bidding for the map was brisk as only about 12 maps of this era still exist, and most are in museums and private collections.

Three such examples can be found in the Philippines at the Malacanang’s Presidential Museum, at the GBR Museum in Cavite and Manila’s Metropolitan Museum.

By the time the map was published in 1734 much of Luzon and the Visayas had been fully explored, only Mindanao and the Cordillera Mountain Ranges were uncharted at this time.

The map is about four feet square and features a decorative coat of arms, compass roses, sailing ship and 12 vignettes with city and rural scenes. The map also included Guam, then called Guajan, Intramuros, Zamboanga and Cavite. It was printed in the Jesuit Press in Manila.