[English Channel] Carte de la Manche

Book Description

Paris: Depot de la Marine, circa 1720. Copper-engraved map, later published by the Depot de la Marine. Printed on laid paper. In excellent condition, apart from a vertical and a horizontal crease where the chart was folded. Image size: 23 ¼ x 31 7/8 inches. 26 ¾ x 39 ¼ inches. A stunning sea chart of the English Channel from one of the most celebrated French atlases "Le Neptune Francois" With the establishment of the Paris Observatory in 1667, a series of surveys by triangulation were conducted of the coasts of France. The findings were organized into elaborate sea charts and included in one of the greatest atlases of the age, Le Neptune Francois. Le Neptune Francois was first published in 1693 by Nicolas Sanson and Alex Hubert Jaillot in cooperation with J. D. Cassini. This lavish collection of sea charts was one of the most important contributions to the history of European mapmaking and helped establish France as a leader in cartographic study. Following the foundation of the National Hydrographic Service in 1720, also known as the Depot de la Marine, the French continued to dominate this field until well into the eighteenth century. The atlas was initially published in Paris but was quickly re-engraved and republished by Pierre Mortier in Amsterdam with accompanying French, Dutch, and English texts. Le Neptune Francois appeared in numerous editions before it was revised and republished by J. N. Bellin in 1753. This stunning chart is a wonderful example from this important atlas. Almost identical to Sanson and Jaillot's original map, this chart is a later publication issued by the Depot de la Marine. The map depicts the English Channel including the coast of Brittany from Brest to Dunquerque, and the coast of England from Brede Bay to Colchester. Morland & Banister, Antique Maps.

Not sure what some of these terms mean? Look it up in our glossary.