Antique Map of Africa by De Fer (1717)

Description: Antique map titled 'L'Afrique, Dressée Selon les Dernieres Relat. et Suivant les Nouvelles Decouvertes (..).' This map is a reduced derivative of De Fer's wall map of Africa (1696-98) with its characteristic thickened west coast. Unusual islands appear in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans including a mythical second island of St. Helena. Monomotapa is shown in the south and the southwest coastline is distorted and there is an incorrect placement and shape of the Cape of Good Hope. In Central Africa is a paragraph concerning the origin of the Nile in Abyssinia, however, the two sub-equatorial Ptolemaic lakes are still shown on the map. The map is graced with a decorative dedication to the Dauphin and a title cartouche featuring lime kilns. The map was first published in 1700. This scarse map originates from: 'Introduction a la geographie - avec unde description historique sur toutes les parties de la terre.', by N. De Fer Geographe de sa Majeste Catholique. A Paris chez le Sieur Danet, gendre de l'auteur, published in 1717, 2nd ed. with several maps first published in this ed.

Artists and Engravers: Nicholas de Fer (1646-1720) was the youngest son of Parisian print and map seller, Antoine de Fer [d.1673]. He became an official geographer to both French and Spanish kings. Nicholas de Fer was one of the most prolific and influential French geographers and cartographers of the late 17th and early 18th Century.