Antique Map France

“A PERSPECTIVE ON BRITAIN AND EUROPE: TRAVEL WITH AN ANTIQUE OR VINTAGE MAP”. AN EXTREMELY RARE ANTIQUE COPPER PLATE ENGRAVED MAP. BY MONSEIGNIEUR LABBE CHAPPE DAUTEROCHE- FAMOUS FRENCH ASTRONOMER. AN ANTIQUE 4 DEGREE SECTIONAL MAP FROM CORNWALL THROUGH BRITTANY, NORMANDY TO ORLEANS AND BOURGES. (related to transit of Venus observations perhaps). FROM A FRENCH ACADEMIE ROYALE DES SCIENCES GEOLOGIC STUDY OF A CROSS SECTION OF EUROPE- BREST IN BRITTANY TO TOBOLSK IN SIBERIA: ACCOMPANIES TRANSIT OF VENUS OBSERVATIONS. An Early to Mid 18. Century French map on period paper showing Geological and mineralogical features. Mr lAbbe Chappe DAuteroche was an astonomer who studied the transit of Venus and distances to the Sun and Moon. He was obviously also a discoverer, voyager, scientist and academician at the French Royal Academie of Sciences in circa 1750. He made this study of Europe on a section which runs from 51 degrees north to 47 degrees north- all the way across from the tip of Brittany to Tobolsk in Siberia in the Russian Empire, and this 4 degree section was travelled, mapped and studies in a great folio of which this map must have been Map Number 1 of Volume 1. This section about 40 degrees north might conform to a set of observation of some astrological phenomenon such as the Transit of Venus. Perhaps this 4 degree band is the part of the earth from which a particular transit of Venus could have been observed. Coincidentally, his cross section just cuts across the West Country of England which is mapped from Lands End to Soreham (no doubt Shoreham) and north to about Bude Bay. This is interesting mapping with an early and inexact view of the coast line but is not studied geographically or mineralogically. On the Continental mainland, Brittany is seen as far south as Noirmoustier and the Loire Valley. All Normandy is seen as far north as Rouen on the Seine and its estuary at Le Havre. It is also a very interesting early mapping or charting of the Channel Isles (Les Iles Anglo-Normandes)- which were English. He talks of a route, and the overall series is also cited as the title of this map. CARTE GEOGRAPHIQUE ET MINERALOGIQUE DE LA ROUTE DE BEST A PARIS ET DE PARIS A TOBOLSK EN SIBERIE. The entire series was laid out Divisee en 9 feulles (one nine sheets) of which this must have been the first. The engraver of the map is cited at bottom left and there is written: Grave par Chalmandrier. I assume that this section about the 40 degree parallel is in some way related to multiple observations from Brest to Paris to Tobolsk of the Transit of Venius. The latitudes are of course from the equator but the longitudes has as a datum a meridian far out to the west because Brest is at 13 degrees east and the bottom right corner is at 21 degrees east. This might have been the Meridian of Madeira which was preferred by some early cartographers, particularly the Dutch. The French often used the Ile de Fer Meridian through Paris, but do not do so on this map. The section is set at an angle of about 40 degrees with 47 degrees north in the bottom right corner but half way up on the left edge: perhaps this allows more to be shown on the map than if depicted at right-angles to the plate. The copper plates impress marks are seen complete on all sides and are about an inch from the bottom edge, two inches from the top edge and closer in at the sides. The paper sheet is large, about 23 inches high and 16 inches wide with the map pressed just left of centre. The plain edges have nicks- well outside the plate marks and these have been strengthened on the plain verso in the past with small paper tabs. The paper is period, double tram lined and watermarked. Ean-Baptiste Chappe d’Auteroche. Ean-Baptiste Chappe d’Auteroche (23 March 1722 1 August 1769) was a. Best known for his observations of the. In 1761 and 1769. He also calculated the distance from the earth to the sun. He came from the Auvergne in France and was a Jesuit. I think his interest in planets and transits explains this angled map: he may well be following on the earth a. Ath observed in the heavens of an object. Probably Venus in Transit across the face of the sun; or some other transit of a. The middle of his section is a latitude line of 40 degrees north. E passes, on his map near Eveux. Brest is a little south of it. In his EXPLICATION DES CHARACTERS , he lists the following. Cailloux roules: round stones, perhaps he means rounded flints. Mines de Plomb: Lead mines. Mines dArgent: Silver mines. Coquille Fossiles: Fossilised shells in rocks. Mines de Fer: Iron ore quarries. Charbon de Terre: Coal, as opposed to Charcoal which must have been Charbon de Bois. Pierre Meuliere: Mill Stone? Incrustation: I wonder what this means: quartz veins in rocks perhaps? Pierre Calcaire: Calcareous rocks- chalk, limestone. These products and rock types are marked on the maps with their old chemical symbols. Coal is seen near Angers; a lot of she. L fossils in the Vendome; rounded pebbles near Chartres; His incrustations near Bayeux; a lot of iron mines near Authon. ENGLAND ON THIS MAP. Ank is not connected to the coast at its western end in Dorset. The Isle of Wight has not the sharp bay seen today east of Freshwater on its south coast. An wide inlet is marked at the mouth of the Hampshire Avon. The isle of Portland is an island and includes the detached Chesil Bank. Arundel is on a wider inlet on the Arun river. The ria at Exmouth is wide and long and not mapped as tidal. The rias at Plymouth are different- one are north east, and another north west. Fatter north to south than in reality. Lizard Point is Cap Lezard: so he equated the Lizard with the animal and translates it: it actually means High Hall in Brithonic: Lis Ard. Generally these are too large. Guernsey is Grenesey; Jersey is Gersey: Sark is Cers and Aulderney is Aurigni. The area about Belle Ile and Morbihan is particularly interesting with Quiberon peninsula in its west. The Loire must be exaggerated in its width; Nates is a fortified town with a bridge, Angers is set back from the river on its north bank. Tours is a fortified town and bridge on the south bank, Blois has a bridge and Orlean. Has a bridge and a meeting of four important highways. A wide long estuary is drawn with his incustations and then very sharp meanders upstream to Rouen. Grande Ville is a kind of starburst shape, and no town on the map meets this criterion. A Petite Ville is like a classic Renaissance fort. A Bourg is a circle and dot. A Paroise is a church symbol with a cross on its spire. An Abbaye is similar with a hat on the spire. An Hameauhas a church with no cross. A Chateau is a tower with a pennant flying. Nt is two parallel lines which spay at their ends. Woods or forests are marked with tree symbols and the greatest of these is due east of Orleans. The sea is marked with waves. I expect this 4 degree band is the swathe of land in which the Transit of Venus could have been observed. Map which must, I think have some association with a set of astrological studies carried out on a section, perhaps on the 40 degree parallel from Brest to Tobolsk in Siberia: perhaps they are trying to establish correct longitude, or. Tracking the transit of Venus. If it is the latter of course the various results would give him data to calculate the correct size of the Sun, or its distance: a study of which he was famous. On this map show Petites Lieues de France divided into 2000 Toises and Lieues Communes de France which are calculated at 25 to the Degree of longitude. The projection shows the. Meridian lines of longitude narrowing in to the north and the grid elongates to the north, so this is not a standard Mercator projection. A FASCINATING AND IMPORTANT MAP WHICH WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY NOT APPEAR AGAIN. OLDMAPSHOP: IS MY SOURCE ONLINE FOR MAP & CARTOGRAPHIC HISTORY. TITLE : CARTE GEOGRAPHIQUE ET MINERALOGIQUE DE LA ROUTE DE BREST A PARIS ET DE PARIS A TOBOLSK EN SIBERIES (Feulle 1). PUBLISHER : LABBE CHAPPE DAUTEROCHE OR THE ACADEMIE ROYALE DES SCIENCES AT PARIS. EDITION : TOMBE PREMIER, NO 1. PRINTER : ENGRAVED BY CHALMONDRIER. PRINTING PROCESS : COPPER PLATE ENGRAVING WITH IMPRESS MARKS VISIBLE ON ALL SIDES AND SOME ETCHING IN SEA AND OTHER DETAILS. SCALE : 1 INCH IS ABOUT 12 Petites Lieues de France. GRID : degrees of Longitude and latitude. OVERALL DIMENSIONS : about 1 6 INCHES BY 22 INCHES. COVER DIMENSIONS : no cover. COVER DETAIL : no cover. COVER CONDITION : no cover. MAP PAPER OR LINEN BACKED : on paper, DOUBLE TRAM LINED AND ANTIQUE and watermarked. FOLD WEAR: no foldes, edge nicks strengthened on verso and far from map. HOLES AT FOLD JUNCTIONS : NO FOLDS. REINFORCING : one edge nick s on verso in past. FOLDED INTO : not folded. INTEREST : considerable: perhaps the last example? A section perhaps following his famous transit of Venus and showing places on a simultaneous observation of this from Brest to Paris to Tobolsk (my guess) to which he has added mineralogical data. GENERAL CONDITION : complete: good, remarkable survivor unique now? THE NORTH WEST OF THIS MAP IS AT : sea off cap Cornuall (Cape Cornwall). THE NORTH EAST OF THIS MAP IS AT : Explication des Characteres or unmapped England. THE SOUTH EAST OF THIS MAP IS AT : just south of Dun le Roy France, not mapped. T HE SOUTH WEST OF THIS MAP IS AT : Title and sea unmapped south of his section. THE CENTRE OF THIS MAP IS AT : Close to St Malo. The item “BRITTANY-NORMANDY1761-9 MAPBREST-TOBOLSKNO. 1VENUS TRANSIT SERIES-D’AUTEROCHE” is in sale since Tuesday, June 25, 2019. This item is in the category “Antiques\Maps, Atlases & Globes\Europe Maps”. The seller is “chapelstile” and is located in Redhill. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• County: BRITTANY
• Cartographer/Publisher: JEAN BAPTISTE L’ABBE D’AUTEROCHE: ACADMIE ROYALE
• Printing Technique: COPPER PLATE ENGRAVING
• Original/Reproduction: Antique Original
• MR L’ABBE D’AUTEROCHE FAMOUS ASTRONOMER: 4 DEGREE SECTION BREST TO TOBOLSK, MAP 1
• Format: LARGE SHEET, PLAIN VERSO,FULL PLATE MARKS-ANTIQUE
• SECTION MAP FOLLOWING TRANSIT PATH-: ANTIQUE MAP FOR AN HISTORIAN;ASTRONOMY-GEOGRAPHY
• Type: 4DEGREE SECTION MAP RELATED TO VENUS TRANSIT 1760s
• Year: 1761-1769 possible dates- transit work to death
• Date Range: 1761-1769
• City: BREST, ROUEN, TOURS, ANGERS, NANTES
• Country/Region: Channel Isles
• State: NORTH WEST FRANCE AND WEST COUNTRY ENGLAND
• Era: MID 18TH CENTURY ROYALIST FRANCE