Carte de L’Empire du Japon Pour server a l’Histoire Generale des Voyages
Empire of Japan, a fine detailed mid-18th century antique map with very attractive title cartouche. Bellin’s wonderfully detailed map of Japan from the atlas of Prevost d’Exiles’ influential collection of travel narratives, Histoire Generale des Voyages. Considered the best general outline of Japan of the 18th century, the map includes Provincial borders, many place names and topographical details, and a lovely Rococo-style title cartouche.

About the Cartographer
Jacques Nicolas Bellin (1703 – 1772) was a French hydrographer, geographer and member of the French intellectual group called the philosophes.

In 1721, at age 18, he was appointed chief cartographer to the French Navy. In August 1741, he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Depot des cartes et plans de la Marine (the French Hydrographical Office) and was named Official Hydrographer of the French King.

During his period the Depot published a considerable number of charts and maps among which  a large folio format sea-chart of France, the Neptune Francois. His maps of Canada and of French territories in North America (New France, Acadia, Louisiana) are particularly valuable.

He also produced a number of sea-atlases of the world, e.g., the Atlas Maritime and the Hydrographie Francaise and smaller format maps such as the 1764 Petit Atlas Maritime (5 vols.) containing 580 finely detailed charts.

Bellin set a very high standard of workmanship and accuracy thus gaining for France a leading role in European cartography and geography.

This antique map has been sold. Please keep checking our website as we may add a similar map.

 

The map is professionally framed using high quality and acid free materials.

H: 21 cm W: 31 cm (H: 37 x 46 1/2 cm framed size)
H: 8” W: 12” (H: 14 1/2 x 18" framed size)