Joao Teixeira - Melchisedech Thevenot

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A Scarce Map.  This map seldom appears for sale and is a great addition to any collection of maps dealing with voyages of discovery!  This is a distinctive map and, in appearance, is unlike most maps depicting this region. 

This large map shows the east coast of Africa, Madagascar, the Arabian Peninsula, and the west coast of India.  Set within the African interior are detailed views of important Portuguese trading ports on the east coast of Africa:  from the top, Mobca (Mombasa), Mosanbique (Mozambique Island), Sofala, and Ilha de Sacatora (Socotra Island).

This map is directly based on an original Portuguese navigational chart or "carreira" prepared by Joao Teixeira for use by the Portuguese royal fleets sailing to the East.  The original of 1649 used to prepare this map by Thevenot is at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.  This map is such a faithful copy of the original in the Bibliothèque Nationale that the map has the look and feel of a manuscript chart.

Joao Teixeira (active from 1602 to about 1650) was the son of Luis Teixeira, founder of an important Portuguese map and chart making family.  Melchisedech Thevenot (1620-1692) was an author of books on early voyages of discovery.  This map is from part II of Thevenot's Relations de divers Voyages Curieux, published in 1664 and then again in 1696 in Paris.  At the bottom left, set within a mileage scale, is the royal privilege or copyright, "avec privilege du Roy".  A detailed latitudinal grid is set within the Indian Ocean.  Surrounding Africa Arabia, and India are numerous placenames of ports, navigational landmarks, shoals and reefs, and other important points.  Within the Indian Ocean are further details on islands.

References:   Cortesao, Armando, and Avelino Teixeira da Mota.  Portugaliae Monumenta Cartographica, Vol IV.  Lisboa, 1960.  p. 147-152.  plate 515.  

Very Fine, with a little thinness where binder's stub was removed on verso.