Code: 57163
Date: circa 1695
Copper engraving; original hand colouring Overall sheet size: 93.5 cms x 61.7cms ; image size: 850mm x 565mm. This is a very impressive large map of the island of Madagascar. Numerous place names are marked as are soundings and sand banks are shown round the island, the regions are defined in original full wash hand colour. East is to the top. The map includes many islands such as "I. De Bourbon", "Santa Apolonia", "I. De Ioan de Lisboa" and "Isles de Comorre". The map is from Mortier's "Neptune François", one of the most stunning cartographical works ever produced. According to Koeman it was: "...the most expensive sea-atlas ever published in Amsterdam ... Its charts are larger and more lavishly decorated than those of any preceding book of this kind’’.
For the engraving and etching Mortier used the most qualified artists. It was intended more as a show piece than something to be used by pilots at sea. It is thought that the most beautiful charts in the atlas were those in part two, particularly those by the celebrated artist, Romeyn de Hooghe. Of particular interest here is the delineations of Antongil Bay and Nosi Hibraim (Île Sainte-Marie) in the north east: at the time both were havens for European pirates preying on the East India trade and also on Mughal treasure ships. The actions of William Kidd, Henry Every, John Bowen & Thomas Tew in the region helped make the period of this chart the golden age of piracy. Faint mountburn in margins on front of map and two remants of tape on verso; 4 cms strengthening to bottom of centrefold else this is a truly magnificent map in very good condition.
Pierre or Pieter Mortier (1661-1711) was a Dutch engraver, son of a French refugee. He was granted a privilege to publish French maps despite being in Holland. In 1693 he published a volumes 1 & 2 of Neptune Francois. The third volume followed in 1700. His son, Cornelis (1699-1783) created one of the most important map publishing businesses of his time.
