catalog text
"PLANISPHERE REPRESENTANT TOUTE L'ETENDUE DU MONDE" COPPER ENGRAVED HAND-COLORED MAP
Jan Barend Elwe, Amsterdam, circa 1792
Item # 907WKH17L
A rich and interesting world map derived from Jacques Cassini's North Polar projection first published in 1696. It was then published as a title page for the Atlas De La Navigation Et Du Commerce by Louis Renard in both 1715 and 1739. Due to the centering of continents as a projection around the North Pole, landmasses exponentially lose their proportions and some rather unusual elements appear: for example, California is dramatically elongated and is a rather late representation as an island; a large Northwest Passage in North America bisects the known part of the continent from a vast land noted as Terres Inconnues; Australia extends across sixty degrees so that the eastern shore is positioned north of New Zealand; and the Great Wall of China is beautifully depicted. The circle of the world is held on the shoulders of a giant, often described as Atlas, but actually depicting Hercules with a club in hand and covered in lion's skin.
Artist Listings & Bibliography:
- The Mapping Of California As An Island, Glen McLaughlin, f. TP12, p. 130
Measurements: 28" H x 21 5/8" W [frame]; 16 3/4" H x 9 3/4" W [map]
Condition Report:
Housed in a contemporary frame. Paper with slight waviness (not stiff and taught), some very minor creasing and minor toning. Some old remains of mounting tape verso.