Copper engraving, 495x580 mm, painted in period style. Beautiful specimen. Decorative map enriched with a series of views of London at the beginning of the 18th century. The map extends to the northern suburbs of London and includes decorative views of the royal palaces: Windsor, Hampton Court, Kensington, the King's Hospital in Chelsea, and the King's Hospital in Greenwich. Homann based these views on larger individual plates by Johannes Kip that had been published in his book on British views. The map extends from Windsor in the west to Dagenham in the east, and from Norwood in the south to South Mimms in the north. Johann Baptist Homann (1663-1724) was a cartographer who founded the famous publishing house Homann Heirs. He lived his entire life in Bavaria, specifically in Nuremberg. Initially, Johann trained to become a priest before converting to Protestantism and working as a notary. In 1702, Johann founded a publishing house specializing in engravings. The company prospered, becoming the leading publisher of maps in Germany and an important entity in the European map market. In 1715, Johann was appointed imperial geographer of the Holy Roman Empire by Charles VI and became a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Johann is best known for his “Grosser Atlas über die ganze Welt” (Great Atlas of the Whole World). After Johann's death in 1724, the business passed to his son Christoph (1703-1730). Upon Christoph's premature death, the company passed to subsequent heirs and the company name changed to Homann Erben, or Homann Heirs. The company continued its activities until 1848.