About this sheet
New Granada, New Andalusia & Guiana – Enlightenment Map by Rigobert Bonne, c.1780
This finely engraved late-18th-century map depicts northern South America, titled Carte du Nouveau Royaume de Grenade, de la Nouvelle Andalousie et de la Guyane, engraved circa 1780 by Rigobert Bonne, one of the most influential figures of Enlightenment-era French cartography. The map covers present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and adjoining regions of the Amazon basin and Caribbean coast, offering a coherent scientific European view of this strategically important colonial zone.
Bonne served as Ingénieur-Hydrographe de la Marine and chief cartographer at the Dépôt de la Marine in Paris, where he succeeded Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. His tenure marked a decisive shift in French cartography toward clarity, standardized measurement, and the synthesis of the most up-to-date geographic intelligence. This map belongs to Bonne’s mature period and exemplifies his restrained yet highly legible engraving style, valued for both scholarly precision and visual balance.
The geography is rendered with notable clarity. The map details the Magdalena, Orinoco, and Amazon river systems, clearly structuring the interior and linking the Andes to the Atlantic world. Colonial provinces such as New Granada, New Andalusia, and Guiana are carefully delineated, alongside Indigenous territories, mission regions, and coastal settlements. The Caribbean coastline, river mouths, and interior trade routes underscore the region’s economic and geopolitical significance in the late 18th century.
Visually calm and architecturally strong, the map’s wide horizontal format, fine line engraving, and generous margins give it strong decorative appeal. It works equally well as a scholarly historical document and as a refined wall piece for a library, study, or contemporary interior. Collectors value Bonne’s South American maps for their intellectual authority, clarity, and understated elegance.
Condition report:
Good antique condition. Light age toning and minor handling wear consistent with 18th-century copperplate engraving. Original centerfold as issued. Clean impression with strong legibility; margins ample for framing.
Framing tips:
Best framed in dark walnut or ebonized wood with a generous ivory or warm off-white mat. Museum glass recommended to preserve detail and enhance contrast. Particularly effective as a wide-format focal piece.
SEO keywords:
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Technique: Copperplate engraving
Maker: Rigobert Bonne, France, circa 1780
