1740 Hemisphere Septentrional pour voir plus distinctement les Terres Arctiques & Hemisphere Meridional pour voir plus distinctement les Terres Australes
By: Guillaume De L’isle / Reiner & Joshua Ottens
Date: 1740 (Published) Amsterdam
Dimensions: 18 x 18 inches (45.7 cm x 45.7 cm)
This is a rare pair of polar projection maps by Reiner & Joshua Ottens with additional text panels included on the sheet to the right of both maps. The maps were published out of Amsterdam circa 1740.
This exception pair of polar projections each extends to the equator with the Prime Meridian running through Iceland and just west of the African coast. The letter press text to the right on the northern hemisphere sheet is a copy of a letter from a Mr. Schwartz, who is an ambassador of St. Petersburg. The letter talks of the discovery made by a fleet of four ships after sixteen days of navigation of over 30 islands in the sea of Kamchatka. The map shows much of the northern Pacific to be unexplored and leaves the possibility of a Northwest Passage open with a break in the coastline surrounding the Hudson Bay.
The southern hemisphere map includes a letter press text block in both French and English detailing the voyage of Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier with his two ships Aigle & Marie. The mission of this voyage was to find the great southern continent. Detailed in the text as well as a small insert, is Bouvet’s discovery of Cap de la Circoncision, which was surrounded by numerous large icebergs. An extra thick dotted line shows the route of both the Aigle and the Marie. Other routes of important explorers are delineated on the map, including Tasman, Magellan, Dampier, Halley and Mendana.
Condition: These maps are in B+ to A condition with exceptional original coloring. The northern hemisphere map shows some discoloring in the paper at the top right corner, which does not affect the text or image. Some minor chips and breaks along the edges are apparent.
Inventory #19015
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