1719 Carte de l’Afrique, Dressée sur les Relations les plus Nouvelles...
DESCRIPTION
By: Henri Abraham Chatelain
Date: 1719 (published) Amsterdam
Dimensions: 18.5 x 23 inches (47 x 58.5 cm)
This is an impressive map of Africa by Henri Abraham Chatelain, published in the early 18th century as part of his monumental Atlas Historique. Known for blending cartography with encyclopedic information, Chatelain’s work stands out for its decorative richness, detail, and integration of geographic and textual knowledge.
The map depicts Africa with bold outlines colored by region and with coastlines rendered in considerable detail, reflecting the heavy reliance on maritime exploration and trade. Coastal regions such as Barbary, Guinea, Congo, and the Cape of Good Hope are labeled prominently, while the interior contains kingdoms, tribes, and speculative details drawn from travel accounts. The Nile’s sources are depicted with uncertainty, referencing the mythical lakes Zaire and Zaflan, as well as other conjectural features common in maps of the time. Madagascar and the surrounding islands are shown with careful precision, highlighting European familiarity with Indian Ocean navigation routes.
Chatelain's Marginal Notes and Remarks on Africa
True to Chatelain’s style, the margins are filled with extensive alphabetical tables and descriptive notes in French. These lists allow the user to locate towns, regions, rivers, mountains, and islands by corresponding grid references on the map itself, making it a practical reference tool. Additional remarks explain natural features, political divisions, and historical anecdotes, providing readers with a blend of geography and cultural context. Two longer text panels near the bottom elaborate on Africa’s natural wealth, trade, and the diversity of its peoples.
Condition: Map is in fine to very fine condition, issued folded, now lays flat with modern hand coloring on evenly toned paper with side margins on all sides. A separation at the bottom centerfold just enters the lower map image but has been closed on the verso with archival materials.
CONDITION
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