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Plan
de L'Ile Oualan
75
x 50 cm copperplate
engraving, 88 x 64 cm sheet size, Dépôt-général de la Marine,
Paris, engraved 1826, printed 1885
We
are pleased to offer this scarce and beautifully engraved original map
of the "Jewel of Micronesia" - the beautiful island of Kosrae, one of the four Federated
States of Micronesia and part of the archipelago known as the Caroline
Islands. This enormous
chart was mapped in 1824 by officers of the French ship La
Coquille
under the command of Louis Isidore Duperrey (1786-1865) during their
famous circumnaviation of 1822-1825. Their painstakingly
detailed manuscript was then engraved on an enormous copperplate
(the platemark measures 84 x 56 cm!) by the master engraver and
mapmaker
Ambroise Tardieu (1788-1841) to accompany Duperrey's memoir Voyage
Autour Le Monde. The accuracy and utility of the
map to mariners is
underscored by the fact that this imprint was taken from the plate
without revision (other than recording a minute change of magnetic
declination over time) - nearly 60 years after it was engraved.
Duperrey was quite taken by Kosrae, then known as Oualan, and
his crew recorded numerous accounts
and images
of the native culture. Duperrey's visit was the first
extended visit to the island by Europeans, and this superbly executed
map stands as an important historic record of the event - the first
"modern" map of the island.
Moreover, the scarcity of the map can hardly be overstated -
we find no record of any examples of the map ever having been offered
for acquisition or in any cartographic database that we know of - only
in the handful of complete sets of Voyage
Autour Le Monde are examples found, a work
commanding a $180,000.00 price in today's market.
Remarkably well preserved and printed on top quality laid
paper with an ornate watermark, this rare chart will make an important
addition to any collection of Pacific cartography.
Lelu
Village and Harbour:
Coastal
profile:
Title
cartouche - note elegant calligraphy and varied fonts:
Fortunately
the coral reef ecosystem so well depicted here remains robust and
unharmed today:
Tardieu's
minute and precise hachure engraving work to illustrate topography
gives the map a distinct "3D" appearance:
Mt.
Finkol at upper left is the highest point on Korsae at 629 meters - the
map shows it at 657 meters, evidence of erosion over the last 182 years:
Condition
- Please note carefully: Map is in overall excellent
condition as can be ascertained from photos - essentially pristine;
strong impression with prominent platemark, good quality laid paper
with ornate watermark, one vertical and three horizontal folds as
issued. In
all a well preserved example
of a scarce and decorative chart that will make an elegant
presentation
if matted and framed. Inquiries
welcome and we encourage you to visit our other auctions
on eBay.
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"Some
to beautify their halls, parlours and chambers... liketh, loveth,
getteth, and useth maps, charts, and geographical globes" - John Dee
(1527-1608)
"...Maps begin as dreams, pass
through a finite life in the world, and resume as dreams again..." -
Thomas Pynchon
Maps
and Atlases
Globes and
Planetaria
Historic Town Views and Plans
Engravings,
Woodcuts and Lithographs
Books and Ephemera
Scientific
Instruments
Curiosities and Oddities
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