DESCRIPTION: Lovely antique chart of the Gulf of Santa Manza, on the southeast coast of Corsica ( Corse ), France near the town of Bonifacio with numerous soundings and coastal topographic details. Beautifully executed and finely detailed engraving in near-perfect condition. Noted features include: Port de Santa Manza, Iles de Porraja, Cap Capicciolo, Cap Blanc, Cap Rondinara, Port de la Rondinara, Calanque de Carlo Anto, Tour de Sponsaglia, Mt. Carpice, amd Porto Nuovo. At top, and extending the full width is a beautifully engraved view of the coastline that includes all the points above and many more.
This large, original copperplate nautical chart was issued by the French Depot de la Marine in 1823 and bears the circular stamp of that agency. Engraved by Ambroise Tardieu. With the circular stamp of three fleur-de-lis surrounding an anchor, from the Depot General de la Marine.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: 1823
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: Corsica
BODY OF WATER: Mediterranean
CONDITION: Very good
Beautiful condition with no condition issues other than 2 small repaired marginal tears well outside the neat line. On heavy, cream colored, chain-laid paper. Prominent platemark and strong impression.
COLORING: None
ENGRAVER: Ambroise Tardieu
SIZE: 35
" x
23 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 66
PRICE: $500
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