Antique Map of Cities in the Hubei and Hunan Provinces of China by Bellin (1755)

Description: Antique print titled 'Plans de Quelques villes de la province de Hou-Quang.' Three bird's-eye view plans of walled cities in what are now China's Hubei (Hou-Quang) and Hunan Provinces on a single plate from Prevost d'Exiles' influential collection of travel narratives, Histoire Generale des Voyages. From left to right, the plans are of Yongzhou (Yong Tcheou Fou), now in Hunan Province; Wuhan (Vou-Tchang-Fou), capital of Hubei Province; and Huangzhou (Hoang-Tcheou-Fou), now an urban district of the Hubei city of Huanggang.

Artists and Engravers: Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was a French hydrographer, geographer and member of The Philosophes. His career, spanning over 50 years, caused an enormous outpt in maps, particular of maritime interest.