L'Afrique

Attractive French copper-engraved map of Africa, part of the Mediterranean and southern Europe, and extending east to show the Arabian Peninsula, Persia and Indian subcontinent. This map is based on De Fer's own wall map of Africa published in 1696. The toponomy seen on this map is less dense in comparison to maps of the mid to late-17th Century which appeared to fill the interior and along the coastlines. Major cities and settlements are named and often marked with small building or church icons. In addition to this, the interior of the map is presented with country divisions, and with river systems and mountain ranges charmingly illustrated.



A small panel of text sitting just above the equator in the central region speculates upon the source of the Nile, which was known locally as the "Abavi" [meaning the Father of Waters]. As with maps of this region, two prominent lakes ("Zaire" and "Zaflan") feature in the south-central which were speculated to be the source of the Nile. Another panel of text just inside the lower neat line of the map notes the 'discovery' of the Cape of Good Hope by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeo Diaz in 1486 - the first European to navigate around the horn of Africa. Fellow Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama also gets a mention as he became the first European to reach India by sea in 1498. There is mention of the fortification created at the Cape by the Dutch East India Company (built 1666-1679).


As well as depicting Africa with an unusual 'bulge' along the coastline between the Congo and the Cape, the map also features several mythical islands; "N.[ouvelle] I. St. Helene" to the east of St. Helene and underneath the compass rose, "Saxonburg" in the southwest Atlantic to the left of the dedication, and "I. Dos Romeiros does Castillianos" southeast from Madagascar.



This map is dedicated to the Dauphin and would have featured in the first edition of De Fer's "L'Atlas Curieux ou Le Monde Représenté dans des Cartes Générales et Particulières du Ciel et de la Terre" which was issued in 6 parts between 1700-1705.



Original outline colour. [AFR5600]