Antique Map Martinique Caribbean Island Chart, Rigobert Bonne French Map, c.1780
€ 280
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-14105-42
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 and light paper wear; visible original central fold as issued; minor scattered spotting and faint handling marks typical for eighteenth-century prints; margins remain generous and suitable for framing.
About this sheet
Martinique, a copper engraving by Rigobert Bonne, circa 1780, titled "Carte de l'Isle de la Martinique, Colonie Françoise dans les Isles Antilles," credited "Par M. Bonne, Ingénieur Hydrographe de la Marine." The sheet is printed in black without color, and the island is the sole subject.
The island is shown on a tall sheet, with the mountainous north drawn in heavy hachured relief and the lower hills of the south in lighter strokes. Saint-Pierre on the west coast and Fort Royal (modern Fort-de-France) at the head of its bay are marked, along with the Cul-de-Sac Royal, Le Marin and La Trinité, and the coast is lettered with points, bays, parishes, batteries and anchorages. Rivers run from the hills to the sea. Three scale bars below the island give small French leagues, common French leagues and marine leagues, and the borders are lettered with latitude and longitude.
Bonne was hydrographer to the French navy at the Dépôt de la Marine in Paris, succeeding Jacques-Nicolas Bellin. Martinique was the principal French colony of the Windward Islands, and this sheet shows its harbors, settlements and coastal defenses.
