Scarce and splendid French double-hemisphere map of the world

Description

This beautiful world map was engraved and published by Pierre Bourgoin. It features an elegant rococo-style title cartouche, with each hemisphere surmounted by a banner with its title – Hemisphere Occidental and Hemisphere Oriental.

The map pre-dates Cook’s voyages and contains several cartographic myths and misunderstandings, including:

• In North America, a large Sea of the West (Mer de I’Ouest) appears, with its conjectured nature symbolised by dotted coastlines.
• Greenland is connected to the North American mainland.
• In the South Pacific, Davis Land (Terre decour par David Anglois) is depicted.
• In central South America, Lake Xarayes (Lac des Xareyes) is shown – one of the presumed gateways to El Dorado.
• Hokkaido (Jedso) is attached to the Asian mainland.
• To the north of Hokkaido, T.[erre] de la Compagnie is shown – a mapping mistake that resulted from misunderstanding and amalgamation of early Dutch explorers’ information pertaining to the coastlines of Sakhalin, the Kurils, and Hokkaido.

Further hallmarks encompass:

• Beyond the Sea of the West, northwest North America is hardly defined. However, two potential northwest passages are shown.
• Following the voyages and discoveries by Russian explorers and cartographers Yevreinov, Bering, and Chirikov, northeast Asia is depicted rather accurately, and what would later be named the Bering Strait is clearly depicted as Detroit du Nord.
• The Great Lakes are clearly distinguishable.
• The Mississippi and Missouri rivers are starting to take shape.
• In the North Pacific, just north of the equator, a puzzling Bermuda (Bermudes) appears, while Bermuda in the Atlantic (I.[le] Bermudes) features too.
• In the South Pacific, New Zealand (Nouvelle Zelande) is hinted at, with an incomplete and still misunderstood western coastline, showing Cape Maria van Diemen (C. Marie), at the northern tip of the North Island, and Golden Bay (B. des Assassins), at the northern tip of the South Island, in one uninterrupted line and relatively close to each other.
• Although there is a mention of Terres Australes, i.e. “Southern Lands”, just above the Antarctic Circle, no corresponding landmasses, not even speculative, are shown.
• Hokkaido is named Jedso, i.e. a spelling variant of its historical name of Ezo.
• The Sea of Japan is named Sea of Korea (M[er] de Corée).
• Australia is shown as New Holland (Nouvelle Hollande), with New Guinea attached to it, and with its eastern and part of the southern coastlines still missing.
• Similarly, only the southern part of Tasmania (Nouvelle Terre de Diemen) is depicted.
• There is an additional appearance of just Terre de Diemen, in northern Australia.

At the bottom of the map, the hemispheres are adorned with decorative elements, with an armillary sphere at the centre.

Engraved by Pierre Bourgoin.

A charming world map featuring many details to discover.

Condition

Good.

Printed on watermarked paper, and issued folding, now flattened. Beautiful colouring throughout, including to cartouche and embellishments. Slightly toned. Wormhole at upper centrefold. A few scattered pinholes. Professionally repaired tear at left centre. Minor mounting tape remnants on verso. Clean image.

Item #: 00651

US $1,400.00

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