Jean Chardin, A Map of the Prophet's Tomb at Medina, 17th Century

Ink drawing on paper

Ex-collection John Evelyn, English polymath and contemporary of Jean Chardin and Samuel Pepys. A passionate bibliophile, Evelyn's library was said to include 3,859 books and 822 pamphlets on his death.

In generally good overall condition, a few stains and paper repairs, as viewed.
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This drawing of the Prophet's tomb at Medina represents one of the earliest attempts by a European to depict the Holy Places of Islam, and can be attributed to the French traveller and merchant Sir Jean Chardin (1643-1712). Depictions of Mecca and Medina by Europeans are scarce, but there exists a sister drawing to the present example in the same hand (and of the same provenance), which provides us with the following inscription: "plan de la meque et lieu ou est enterre le faux profete y avant deux cours celle de dehors qui est fort grande et celle de lieu est la Sepulture de Mahomet et les os à l'entrée de Chascune y a 4 portes" (Aa to Zywiec, Hobhouse Ltd, Summer 1985, no.21). Although Chardin took on his travels two professional artists including Grélot, both the present and sister drawing are not their work, and thus are most probably by Chardin himself. 

Polyglot and traveller Jean Chardin was born in Paris in 1643, and spent eleven years in the Middle East. He gained access to the Persian court and was appointed a royal merchant by Shah 'Abbas II. After travels in Persia, Turkey, India and Georgia, Chardin settled in England, where he was knighted by Charles II for his services to the East India Company. He also published an account of his voyages (the first volume in 1686 and further sets in 1711), which have been widely praised for their breadth of knowledge and accuracy. As a royal merchant, Chardin was able to gain access to court information on politics and patronage which would otherwise be unavailable to foreigners, and his works have become an important non-Persian source of information on the Safavid and Ottoman empires.