1742 Afrique selon les Relations les plus Nouvelles Dressee et Dediee Par le. P. Coronelli
By: Jean Baptiste Nolin
Date: 1742 (Published) Paris
Dimensions: 19.5 x 23.5 in (50 cm x 60 cm)
This authentic antique map of Africa by Jean Baptiste Nolin is considered a major accomplishment in the mapping of the continent, as its place names reflect the ever-increasing knowledge provided by European explorations and expeditions, and the settlements created in their wake.
It refuted beliefs regarding the source of the Nile which had held sway from antiquity till as late as the 18th century. Ptolemy believed that the Nile had its source in lakes located in the mythical ‘Mountains of the Moon’ in Central Africa. Rather than depicting the lakes, an oval cartouche formed by two entwined snakes surrounds text explaining that the mountains were more fiction than fact.
Perilous areas of the open seas are noted, and a lovely sailing frigate graces the south Atlantic. Text annotations describe the explorations by Petro Paez and Manuel de Almeida, and the Nile as it was known in antiquity. The map was compiled and engraved in collaboration with Vincenzo Maria Coronelli, who was working in Paris at that time on a pair of globes of grand size, Celestial and Terrestial, for King of France, Louis XIV. The title cartouche depicts the royal crest, an aborigine in tribal dress, a fantastical fish, a snake, a lion and a camel.
Condition: This map is in B+ condition, with original coloring. Toning around the outer edges of the borders, foxing, and some rust spots. Small tears of the outer edge of the border have been repaired with archival materials on the verso.
Inventory #19506
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