Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1780
Sheet size
41 × 26 cm (16.1 × 10.2 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-14105-50
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Good antique condition with age-related toning, visible central fold as issued, light scattered spotting, and minor edge wear; upper margin shows areas of wear consistent with age; margins remain suitable for framing.
About this sheet
The Virgin Islands and nine smaller islands of the Lesser Antilles, a composite copper engraving by Rigobert Bonne, circa 1780, from his Caribbean series. The upper section is titled "Les Isles Vierges," and the lower title reads "Supplement pour les Isles Antilles, extrait des Cartes Angloises," credited "Par M. Bonne, Ingénieur Hydrographe de la Marine." The sheet is printed in black without color.
The top third shows the Virgin Islands at a larger scale, running from the eastern end of Puerto Rico ("Porto Rico") at the left past St. Thomas, St. John and Tortola to Virgin Gorda and Anegada, with reefs, harbors and anchorages named. Below the title are nine small framed maps in a grid of three rows, each showing a single island: Barbuda ("I. de la Barboude"), St. Christopher, Antigua, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent, Grenada and Tobago. Each carries its capes, bays and settlements, and a scale bar for marine and English leagues sits beneath the main title.
Bonne was hydrographer to the French navy at the Dépôt de la Marine in Paris, succeeding Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. The note "extrait des Cartes Angloises" shows that the island plans were taken from English charts.
