Paris (1700) 1717

L' AFRIQU E | Dressée Selon les dernieres Relat. | et Suivant les Nouvelles decouvertes | dont les Points Principaux Sont | placez Sur les Observations de | Mrs. de l'Academie Royale des Sciences. | Par N. de Fer. | A PARIS chez l'Auteur dans l'Isle du | Palais Sur le Quay de l'Orloge a la Sphere | Royale 1717. Avec Privil: du Roy.
[dedication at bottom left]:  Dedieé | A NOSSEIGNEURS | les Enfans de France. | Par leur tres humble et | tres obeiss. Serviteur | de Fer. | Geogr. de Monseigr. le Dauphin.

Original copperplate printed map: 
23 x 31.5 cm.
Map #AFS-055
$600

Click Here for High Resolution Image

 
This attractive map is from De Fer's L'Atlas Curieux ou le Monde. For this map, De Fer uses his own wall map of Africa of 1696/98 as his model. As on the wall map, he keeps both Ptolemaic lakes, but cuts off their connection with the Nile River. It seems that De Fer recognizes that the two lakes are an historic artifact, but he is still reluctant to completely eliminate them from the map. There are three lines of text above the Ptolemaic lakes indicating that the source of the Nile River, named the Abavi on this map, is in the province of Tonkoua in Abyssinia.  Following his 1696-1698 wall map, on this map De Fer has an odd representation of a wider southern part of the continent. Southern Africa has a distorted southwest coastline which has an inward slope to it and an incorrect placement and shape of the Cape of Good Hope.

The engraver is not identified on this map, however the second title page in the atlas is signed 'N. Guerard inve fecit'. It is possible that Guerard, who worked on De Fer's 1696/98 wall map of Africa, also engraved this map.  This is the third state of the map. 

Betz, Map #170.  Norwich, Map #64.

In attractive frame.