1654 French map of the Philippines in original outline color

Les Isles Philippines Molucques et de la Sonde

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SKU: NL-00484 Category: Tag:
Date: 1654
Place: Paris
Dimensions: 58 x 43 cm (23 x 17 in)
Condition Rating: VG
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Description

Early map of the East Indies, centered on the Philippines with Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and the South China Sea, masterfully executed by one of the great figures in the history of French cartography. One of the earliest maps of the region printed for a French Atlas.

Opting for geographic information over spurious Dutch-style ornamentation, this map presents a detailed picture of the region, with Taiwan in the north, Cambodia, the Straits of Malaca, Sumatra, and the northwest coast of Australia.

Among the cities plotted is Sincapura.

Cartographer(s):

Nicolas Sanson

Nicolas Sanson d’Abbeville (1600-67) was perhaps the greatest cartographer of 17th century France — a period of France’s political ascendancy in Europe and also a period in which French cartographers displaced the Dutch as Europe’s leading map makers.

As a young man, he attracted the attention of Cardinal Richelieu and, in time, became Géographe Ordinaire du Roi for Louis XIII and Louis XIV, both of whom he personally instructed in geography. Under Louis XIII, Sanson became a minister of state. Sanson has become known as the “father of French cartography,” and his influence is such that the sinusoidal projection he employed has become known as the “Sanson-Flamsteed projection,” recognizing the impact of Sanson (Flamsteed was an English astronomer royal from 1675 to his death in 1719).

Pierre Mariette

Pierre Mariette was part of a long-established and highly successful family of engravers, book publishers and print sellers in Paris.

Condition Description

Nice; minor wear along the edges. Even age-toning.

References

Quirino, p. 83; BMC Printed Maps XII, col.867; Cat.Nat.mar.Mus.271, map 15; Nordenskjöld 275, vol.1, map 17; pastoureau, Sanson V, map 12.