geks kop (4 Ergebnisse)

Uncoloured; light soiling, overall a fine example. From volume 2 of 'Het Groote Taferell der Dwaasheid', a collection of printed satires on 'the bursting bubbles'. A reference to the financial crises that swept through Europe in the aftermath of the South Sea Bubble. At the centre is the island of Madhead and the rivers that irrigate it are the principal rivers of the countries most involved in the madness. The Thames (Teems), Seine, Meuse (Maas) and the River 'de Bubbel'. Every name on the map and cartouche has a double meaning and refers to the madness of the previous years and the dreams of unlimited wealth emanating from the Mississippi region, the South Pacific and Spanish America. M.C.M. Issue 17, p 49; Issue 18, p 39.

unbound. Print. Copper-plate engraving. Amsterdam: 1720. Image measures 6 1/8" x 9", with text 11 1/2" x 9". Sheet measures 15" x 11 1/2" This satirical persuasive map depicts the island of "Geks-Kop", rendered as a 'fools head', or man in a 'fool's cap.' The map is an allegorical reference to the economic crash caused by the French Compagnie d'Occident, often referred to as the Mississippi Company, following the burst of the Mississippi Bubble. Surrounding the head are islands labeled Poverty, Despair, and Sorrow. Rivers serve to outline facial features, and place names include 'Leugenburg' (Town of Lies), 'Bedriegers Stadt' (City of Cheaters), Gekkendam (Crazy-dam), etc. In 1719, John Law, a Scottish financier, created a bubble in the shares of the Mississippi Company by touting the economic potential of the French colony of Louisiana. Also there was great demand for the bank notes of the Banque General Privee, the French bank that sponsored the Mississippi Company. In 1720, the bubble burst on the stock of the Mississippi Company and the bank notes, when investors became doubtful of their value. This sheet was published in 'Het Groote Tafereel Der Dwaasheid', or 'The Great Mirror of Folly' - A renowned monument for the speculative mania of 1720: The great mirror of folly, showing the rise, progress, and downfall of the bubble in stocks and windy speculation in France, England, and the Netherlands. It constitutes a collection of mostly satirical plates on the operations of John Law in France and the South Sea Bubble in England, together with the text of the charters of speculative companies in Holland and a number of satirical plays and comedies published during the bubble. P. J. Mode 1019.01.

Good. Wide margins. Minor wear along original centerfold. Soiling. Size 12 x 9.5 Inches. An important and charming 1720 satirical allegory map, commonly known as the 'Fools Head' or 'Fools Cap,' intended to illustrate the dangers and pitfalls of 'bubble economies.' After the bursting of the Dot-Com Bubble and the more disastrous United States Housing Bubble (and subsequent sub-prime mortgage crises), most will find the themes of this 18th-century map taunting the speculators in the Mississippi Scheme - poverty, sorrow, and despair - quite familiar. The Mississippi Company and the Mississippi Bubble The Mississippi Company (a.k.a Mississippi Scheme, or more properly, Compagnie de la Louisiane ou d'Occident ) was a French joint stock company established by the Scottish financial wizard, convicted murderer, economic theorist, and gambler, John Law (1671 - 1729). The company was, in essence, a private bank founded to develop the resources of French Louisiana, for which they held a monopoly under the French crown. The company's optimistic propaganda captured the popular imagination and its stock value rose stratospherically, allowing Law to absorb several similar companies, including the Compagnie des Indes Orientales and the Compagnie de Chine , ultimately rebranding itself Compagnie Perpetuelle des Indes . Law devised an epic scheme by which the Mississippi Company assumed and restructured the entire French national debt, launching a mechanism whereby portions of this debt could be exchanged for stock shares. Based upon the presumed limitless wealth of the Americas, the company's stock became highly coveted, with some 300,000 applicants for the 50,000 shares offered. Consequently, the stock, which opened at 500 livres, quickly rose to 18,000 livres per share. When speculators began to take their profits, the company was forced to issue its own paper currency to meet the demand. This currency was presumed to be backed in gold by the Banque Royale, which Law effectively controlled. Nonetheless, with increased amounts of near-worthless paper currency in circulation, inflation soared. Eventually, in May of 1720, the French government admitted the paper money already in circulation far exceeded the national gold reserves. Share values plummeted as stockholders and speculators alike rushed to turn in their bills for metallic coinage. The stock markets in France, Holland, and England collapsed, leading to the bankruptcy of similar companies, such as the South Sea Company, in London and Amsterdam. Thousands of individuals, as well as many companies and even governments, fully divested of their entire net worth, resorted to bankruptcy and, in some cases, suicide. John Law, now a fugitive, fled France and died a pauper in Venice. A Detailed Look at the Broadside This map, finely engraved and printed in Amsterdam, satirizes the folly and consequence of the bubble economy created by the Mississippi Scheme and its careless investors. The title, Afbeeldinge van't zeer vermearde Eiland Geks-Kop , translates to 'Representation of the very famous island of Mad-head, lying in the sea of shares, discovered by Mr. Law-rens, and inhabited by a collection of all kinds of people, to whom are given the general name shareholders.' The center of the map is an island that takes the form of a traditional fool's head. It is situated in the 'Sea of Shares,' surrounded by the smaller islands of Armoed ('Poverty'). Droefhyt ('Sorrow'), and Wanhoop ('Despair'). Rivers are used to define the face, the cap, and the donkey ears, and are marked with humorous place names including Bedriegers Stadt ('Charlatan City'), Leugenburg ('Lie Town'), Blind Voort ('Blind Fort'), Sottenburg ('Crazy Town'), and Bederfwyk ('Corrupt Quarter'), among others. At the center is the city of Quinqumpoix, named after the Paris street where Law maintained his offices. The rivers, 'Seine,' 'Teems,' and 'Maas,' representing the Seine, the Thames, and the Meuse, are major arteries in those.

Amsterdam, 1720, 290 x 230mm. Some slight creasing. A map of the island of 'Geks-Kop' (fools cap) from 'Het Groote Tafereel Der Dwaasheid' (The Great Mirror Of Folly). The title translates as 'A representation of the very famous island of Mad-head, lying in the sea of shares, discovered by Mr. Law-rens, and inhabited by a collection of all kinds of people, to whom are given the general name shareholders'. At the centre of the image is a map of an island depicted as the head of a Fool wearing his traditional cap; the place names include Blind Fort, Bubble River, and Mad House, surrounded by the islets of Poverty, Sorrow, and Despair. Around the map are scenes including a crowd stoning the headquarters of the Compagnie and a creditor fleeing his investors in a land-yacht. This satirical engraving of the Mississippi Bubble is one of the most famous cartographic curiosities. It represents the collapse of the French Compagnie de la Louisiane d'Occident, founded by the Scottish financier John Law in 1717, which was granted control of Louisiana. Its plans to exploit the resources of the region (the 'Mississippi Scheme') captured the popular imagination and people rushed to invest: share prices opened at 500 livres, but rapidly rose to 18,000 livres. At this point speculators indulged in profit-taking, causing a run on the shares. Confidence collapsed, causing a run on the company's capital and the company went bankrupt, ruining many, not only in France, but throughout Europe. As a consequence of this failure, confidence in many colonial schemes collapsed, forcing many companies into bankruptcy, including the English South Sea Company and a number in the Netherlands, prompting this satire.