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Two rare 18th-century ‘dissected maps’ or jigsaws by John Spilsbury (British, 1739-1769) are some of the most intriguing lots in the Selected Items from The Collection of the 17th Earl & Countess of Perth online sale at Bonhams from February 26 to March 11.
Considered to be the inventor of the jigsaw, Spilsbury was initially apprenticed in 1753 to Thomas Jefferys, a leading English cartographer and Royal Geographer to George III. Under his tutelage, Spilsbury refined his craft before setting out on his own in Covent Garden in 1760.
As the children’s publishing industry began to take off in the mid-18th century, he had the idea of mounting a map to board and cutting it into pieces along county lines for children to reassemble. According to Mortimer’s Universal Director, by 1763 he described himself as ‘Engraver and Map Dissector in Wood, in order to facilitate the Teaching of Geography’.
Capitalising on the success of the first ‘dissected map’, Spilsbury went on to create eight variations: the World, Europe, Asia, Africa, America, England and Wales, Ireland, and Scotland.
Spilsbury’s ‘dissected maps’ offer a unique insight into Georgian attitudes to education and the ingenuity of craftsmen in England. The jigsaws are offered together with an estimate of £800-1,200, the first later framed with multiple losses, and the second in a labelled box with four losses – completists be aware!
Selected Items from The Collection of the 17th Earl & Countess of Perth sale will be on view at Bonhams Knightsbridge on March 7 and March 9-11.
