Carte de l'Islande (Iceland) by J.N. Bellin

Code: 53729

Date: 1758

Copper engraving, uncoloured as issued.  Overall sheet size: 47.5cms x 38.8cms ; 380mm x 307mm. Old folds as issued ; very good condition.

The map is based on the work of Peder Horrebow, a Danish astronomer. It locates villages and churches and graphically delineates the mountains, including Mt. Hekla, rivers, lakes and forests. Explanation key , compass rose with a  decorative title cartouche. Taken from  “Histoire generale des Voyages ou nouvelle collection de toutes les relations de voyages par mer et par terre” published by Jacques Nicolas Bellin in Paris 1758. Horrebow’s map, based on the previously unpublished Knoff survey, was a major departure from previous maps based on Bishop Gudbrandur Thorlaksson's map of more than 150 years earlier. Therefore it marked a turning point in the cartography of Iceland. This is Bellin's version for Prevost's important work on voyages of exploration.