(Asia-Pacific-North America)Carte des Nouvelles Découvertes au N

Carte des Nouvelles Découvertes au Nord de la Mer du Sud, . . .

Cornerstone map of the Northwest showing the results of Bering’s voyages and other Russian exploration. Joseph-Nicolas de l’Isle, geographer to Louis XIV and XV, went to St. Petersburg in 1726 where he worked with J.K. Kirilov to produce the first Russian Atlas. On his return to Paris, he presented a paper detailing his theories about the Northwest coast of America, and together with his nephew Philippe Buache produced a set of maps illustrating these theories. This map was first published in Paris by Buache in 1752, and it was republished in Venice by Santini in 1776. Santini’s plates were later acquired by G. Remondini, and this copy bears the Remondini imprint.

This is one of the earliest printed maps to show the mythical Sea of the West, supposedly discovered by Juan de Fuca in his voyage of 1592. The cartographers also accepted reports of the fictional Admiral de Fonte regarding the existence of a Northwest Passage, and features of this passage (including Lac Belle and Lac de Fonte) appear with conjectural coastlines.

Numerous voyage tracks are shown, including de Frondat (1709), Bering (1728-30, 1741-42), and Chirikov (1741-42). The map is drawn with an unusual spherical projection, and an explanation of the projection is included upper left. In the upper corners are figures of natives of Kamchatka and Louisiana.

Tooley (America), p. 7, 34-35 (#104); Schwartz and Ehrenberg, 157-58, 161 (Plate 94).

Condition is very good, with attractive hand color. Image size is approximately 17.5 x 24.75 (inches)