Afrique

Decorative map of the African continent originating from one of the last great decorative atlases of the 19th Century. The map itself is full of information. Coloured outlines denote the boundary lines for the countries, but it is clear by the unfinished outlines in places, particularly central and southern Africa, that there is much unexplored territory.

A large lake has been sketched out along the eastern edge of Mozambique, which would be modern-day Lake Malawi. The topography of mountainous regions are beautifully described with hachuring. The courses of the river systems are shown using a mixture of solid and dashed lines, showing some uncertainty. The names of the local peoples are marked across the map in bold type, for example; the Cimba tribe in Namibia (Cimbebasie), as well as the Kingdoms of Mutapa (Monomotopa) and Khoikhoi in southern Africa (Hottentots).

Africa is surrounded by a frame of very attractive vignettes of thoughtful design and skilfully engraved. To the left of the map, a sweeping coastal scene which sits above an image of a pyramid, an obelisk and a woman seated with a camel, an ostrich and a lion, with two hunters in the background. Statistics are shown on the silhouette of the pyramid, illustrating the population sizes for the ‘best known’ countries of Africa.

To the right, an Imam sits atop a podium holding a copy of The Quran, and looking down upon a scene of a French diplomat or soldier consulting with Arabs, and presenting a map of Africa. The tablet behind this scene bears a description of Africa, it’s natural wealth and a very brief history of exploration by the Europeans. Below this an explanation of the decorative ornamentation featured on the map.

Underneath the map in the lower border, three charmingly framed panoramic views of the cities of Alexandria, Cairo and Algiers, sitting between animals, urns, vegetation, fruit and general decorative embellishment.

Engraved by Raymond Bonheur (1796-1849). Original outline colour. [AFR5475]