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DE L'ISLE, Guillaume (1675-1726)
In Notitiam Ecclesiaticam Africæ Tabula Geographica
Paris: Apud Auctorem in Ripa vulgo dieta le Quai, 1700 [but 1731]. Engraved with period outline colour. Printed on thick laid paper. In very good condition, mild soiling near the top edge, mostly marginal . Sheet size: 20 x 25 3/4 inches.
An excellent 18th century map of early Christian North Africa by the celebrated French cartographer, Guillaume de L'Isle.
Guillaume de L'Isle (1675-1726) was the son of a cartographer and a pupil of Jean Dominique Cassini, who, among other important contributions, aligned the study of astronomy to the study of geography. Under Cassini's direction, observations were made from locations all over the world that enabled longitudinal calculations to be made with much greater accuracy. De l'Isle carried on this exacting work with remarkable dedication and integrity, constantly revising and improving his maps. While precision was his primary goal, his maps are also invariably elegant and attractive.
This map is from an edition of De L'Isle's Atlas de Geographie, which was re-issued posthumously from 1730 to 1774. This is a map depicting North Africa at the time of the Roman Empire and early Christian church as pieced together by DeL'Isle. It does not pretend to be definitive, but rather a contribution towards knowledge of the era and region.
Moreland and Bannister, Antique Maps p. 132; Tooley's Dictionary of Mapmakers, 395
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#18748 $400.00 
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© 2002-2005 Donald A. Heald
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