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DE L'ISLE, Guillaume (1675-1726)
Carte des Côtes de Malabar et de Coromandel Presentée au Roy
Paris: chez l'Auteur...Sur le Quay de l'Horloge..., 1723 [but, with revisions, 1731]. Engraved with period outline colour. Printed on thick laid paper. In very good condition, mild soiling near the top edge at fold, mostly marginal . Sheet size: 20 x 25 3/4 inches.
An excellent 18th century map of the Indian peninsula 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 was the beginning of the intense competition between the British and French for dominance in India, and the map reflects considerable geographical knowledge. In the 17th century the Dutch, Portuguese, even the Danes, as well as the British and French, had coastal spheres of influence, and these are all noted on the map. By mid-century, the British and French were the primary rivals.
Moreland and Bannister, Antique Maps p. 132; Tooley's Dictionary of Mapmakers, 395
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#18749 $450.00 
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© 2002-2005 Donald A. Heald
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