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A magnificent set of five Enlightenment wall maps of the continents & world, all in early states: the only known set of all five, unknown in any public or private collection. In the late 17th century, mapmaking was emerging from an equal focus on the decorative and descriptive to a more analytic sensibility. Nicolas de Fer (1646-1720) successfully navigated the early Enlightenment era with these monumental wall maps, created with the patronage of the Dauphin of France. The dramatic cartouches and vignettes in the maps are masterpieces of baroque imagery, capturing the people, wonders, resources, and cultures of faraway lands eagerly sought by Europeans during this dynamic period. A very limited number of large wall maps were produced by the major cartographic houses for the nobility and for wealthy merchants to satisfy curiosity about the world beyond Europe. Grand wall maps such as these were usually mounted for display, and their exposure led to the great majority of examples from this period having been lost; the incidence of this type of map passing down to our era is astonishingly small. (1) America: L Amerique divisee selon l etendue de ses principales parties et dont les points principaux sont placez sur les observations de messieurs de l Academie Royale des Sciences (1698). Second state of 1698 first edition, adding the dedication to the Dauphin within an ornamental cartouche. One of the most glorious cartographic expressions of the spirit of 17th century French expansionism in North America. The geography is of the type in fashion at Paris during the short interval between La Salle s descent of the Mississippi in 1682 and the founding of Louisiana in 1699. De Fer properly aligned Hudson Bay above the Great Lakes, which are portrayed with exceptional accuracy, and the southern reaches to the Great Lakes are better aligned with the east coast. The map shows advanced knowledge of the Mississippi River drainage, although still emptying in the Gulf of Mexico in Texas, too far to the west, following the school of Coronelli. Two of the most iconic 18th century images of America, those of beavers at work and of a cod-fishery, were introduced on this map before being made famous by the English cartographer Herman Moll. The beaver scene shows dozens of the industrious creatures against a backdrop of Niagara Falls, which is most likely based on Hennepin s first printed view of the falls, published a year earlier in 1697. (2) Africa: L Afrique divisée selon l etendue de ses principales parties et dont les points principaux sont placez sur les observations de messieurs de l Académie Royale des Sciences (1698). The African continent on a fantastic scale with extensive annotations and panelled legends throughout; dedicatory cartouche in the southern Indian Ocean. The side panels have extensive text entries for the division of the continent, cities, islands, capes, rivers, mountains, and a lengthy description of the source of the Nile. Richly decorated with more than 20 elaborate scenes showing art, industry, clothing, customs, farming, hunting, trade, battle, and landscapes. Numerous animals include ostrich, monkey, crocodile, lion, elephant, and camel. With a plan of the Dutch fort at the Cape of Good Hope in a draped paneled inset. The Arabian Peninsula is shown in its entirety. Based in part on the work of de l Isle, it shows an early conception of the Middle East: in particular, it omits the Sinai Peninsula included in several of de Fer s earlier efforts. Among the toponyms along the coast of the Gulf are Abadan, Sur, Ahsa, Janama, Bahr, El Catif, Bischa, Borou, Godo, Vodana, Calba, Dadana, and Pinder. Although the coastlines are well mapped, there is a notable lack of understanding of the interior: the Niger delta is shown divulging on the west coast instead of the Gulf of Benin, while the massive extent of the Congo river s drainage basin is here only hinted at. The Nile is finally freed from the twin Ptolemaic lakes and begin.
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