L' AFRIQUE | divisee suivant l'estendue de ses principales parties | ou sont distingués les vns des autres. |  LES EMPIRES, MONARCHIES, ROYAUMES, ESTATS, ET PEUPLES , | . . . | Par le Sr. SANSON, Geographe Ordinaire du Roy. | . . . | Par son tres humble tres obeissant et tres fidele Serviteur | Hubert Iaillot
(above the map on two lines of text): L' AFRIQUE DISTINGUÉE EN SES PRINCIPALES PARTIES, SÇAVOIR LA BARBARIE, . . .   Par le Sr. Sanson Geogr. ordre., du Roy.
(at the bottom of the scale bar):  A Amsterdam | chez Pierre Mortier & Compagnie | avec privilege

Original copperplate printed map: 
2 map sheets ; 54.5 x 87.5 cm (not including text above the map).

Map #AFS-083
$1,500
 

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Mortier (1661-1711) was the founder of a large Amsterdam book and map publishing house which included his sons Cornelis and Pieter II. Although the atlas in which this map appears has a publication location of Paris and the imprint of Alexis Hubert Jaillot as the publisher, the atlas was actually published in Amsterdam in 1692 by Pieter Mortier and Marc Huguetan. It has no mention of Mortier or Huguetan, or the location of Amsterdam. It is unclear if this edition had Jaillot's approval but this copying of Jaillot's name and publication location of Paris was obviously done to promote the sale of Mortier and Huguetan's copy of the popular Sanson atlas, as published by Jaillot. By the late seventeenth century, the French held a dominant position in the map publishing business with Dutch and English publishers freely copying French prototypes, with and without approval.

As the title on this Jaillot-Mortier map indicates, the map is based on the geography of Guillaume Sanson, in this case Sanson's map of Africa of 1668. There are a number of departures from Sanson's earlier work. Of most significance, the map introduces a new depiction of the rivers south of the Ptolemaic lakes. Attempting to correct the misplaced modern-day Zambezi River which appeared too far to the south on the earlier maps, a new major river, the Zambeze, is placed above the Zambere R. and Rio de Spiritu Santo, which exits into the Indian Ocean by the trade port of Quiloane. This new alignment correctly places Sofala to the south of the Zambezi.  The new Zambeze River originates in a new, unnamed lake to the east of Zachaf Lac, the traditional source for the Zambere/Cuama and Spirito Santo Rivers.

A fourth edition of the atlas was published without a date on the title page and on the map of Africa. However the map of Africa in this edition does have Mortier's name and address as: 'A Amsterdam | chez Pierre Mortier & Compagnie | avec privilege'. This edition (and this particular map) was likely published between 1696 and 1708.

Betz, Map #118.  Not in Norwich.

Generally fine.