DESCRIPTION: Antique sea chart of the Pacific Ocean with a very decorative rococo cartouche. This old French nautical chart contains incomplete representations of Australia and New Zealand coastal regions, reflecting the lack of knowledge that still existed at that time. 2nd. Ed. By J.N. Bellin. A later edition of this chart includes the Depot de la Marine engraved stamp at bottom left.
Coverage spans the Pacific from east Asia to the east coast of the United States. The chart will display beautifully when framed.The Depot de la Marine was established in 1720 under the French Ministry of the Navy to collect, preserve, and publish nautical charts, sailing directions, and maritime intelligence for the French naval service. Its purpose was both archival and practical: to centralize geographic knowledge gathered from voyages, surveys, and colonial administration, and to convert that information into standardized charts for navigation. Over the eighteenth century the Depot became the principal hydrographic authority of France, issuing engraved sea charts that incorporated data from naval expeditions, colonial outposts, and scientific voyages.
Following the French Revolution, the institution was reorganized and its chart production expanded, particularly during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries as global maritime competition intensified. The Depot de la Marine supervised official surveys, revised earlier charts, and maintained copperplates for continued reissue as coastal knowledge improved. In 1886 it was formally reorganized as the Service hydrographique de la Marine, the predecessor of today’s French hydrographic office. Charts bearing the Depot imprint remain important records of French naval activity, colonial expansion, and the technical development of European hydrography.
PUBLICATION DATE: 1756
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: Australia
BODY OF WATER: Pacific Ocean
CONDITION: Very good.
Very clean and on heavy paper with a strong impression. Ample margins.
COLORING: Careful hand-color in the style of the mid-eighteenth century.
ENGRAVER:
SIZE: 34
" x
22 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 62
PRICE: $2200
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