A rare 16th-century atlas, once owned by Queen Mary I of England, is being offered for $1.6 million at the New York Antiquarian Book Fair. The volume, which contains unique early maps of Britain, was acquired by dealer Barry Lawrence Ruderman Antique Maps Inc. for $227,000 just two years ago and is now presented as a major artifact of Tudor history.
This sale is significant due to the atlas's royal provenance, its status as the only known copy with these specific maps, and its reflection of emerging British imperial ideology. The item is also under a U.K. export ban, meaning any buyer must either keep it in Britain or allow a British institution the opportunity to acquire it, highlighting ongoing tensions between the private art market and national cultural heritage preservation.