Rare Antique Print-SANTA DOMINGO-HAITI-CUBA-CARRIBEAN-SEACHART-Bellin-1750

Price: € 2.724,50

Subject: Antique print, titled: 'Carte reduite de l'Isle de Saint Domingue et de ses debouquements pour servir aux Vaisseaux du Roy [...]' - (Reduced map of the island of Santa Domingo and surroundings, to serve for the ships of the King.) Highly decorative sea chart / nautical map / maritime map of the region centered on Santa Domingo, and including Hispaniola, Turks & Caicos Islands, Lower Bahamas, the eastern ends of Cuba and Jamaica, and the western end of Puerto Rico. Printed stipple rhumb lines are drawn over by hand (!) in a greenish colour, with additional lines added. Remains of manuscript annotations are present. A superb and extremely rare example of this chart with handdrawn lines, most certainly used at sea.

Condition: Very good, given age. Original middle fold as issued. Slight paper separation at top and lower margins, reinforced and backed. A few small tears in paper edges, backed. A few tiny scattered worm holes at top. Some light staining / soiling. Some creasing. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.

Medium: Engraving on handlaid (verge type) paper.

Size (in cm): The overall size is ca. 91 x 60.5 cm. The image size is ca. 88.5 x 55.5 cm.

Size (in inch): The overall size is ca. 35.8 x 23.8 inch. The image size is ca. 34.8 x 21.9 inch.

Part Number: 62945

Location: ZH-420

Description: First published in Paris in 1750 as part of 'Le Neptune Francois ou Recueil des Cartes Marines', published by Departement de la Marine. State: Most probably an early ed. of this map, still lacking the seal of the Depot de la Marine.

Artists and Engravers: Made by an anonymous engraver after 'Jacques Nicolas Bellin'. Cartographer: Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was a French hydrographer and geographer. He is considered the greatest 18 th. c. French hydrographer and for 50 years he was associated with the 'Depot des cartes et Plans' (Depot de la Marine) as the First hydrographer of the French Royal Navy. His maps were constantly updated with the latest information and their execution magnificent. Bellin's major works are the 'Neptune Francois ...', the 'Petit Atlas Maritime ...' and the 'Hydrographie Francoise ...' As a member of a French intellectual group called the 'Philosophes' and he contributed 994 articles to the 'Encyclopedie' by Diderot/d'Alembert. He also contributed to the 'Histoire Generale des Voyages' by Prevost.