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This interesting world map comes from Malte-Brun and Lapie's decorative atlas of 1812. Though this map is often shown to have been first printed in 1805 it is very unlikely as it shows cartographic information that was not published until 1811.

By 1812 when this map was published it was becoming uncommon to decorate and especially illustrate a map. Malte-Brun and Lapie's atlas did however extend the role of illustrations that perhaps finally perished after the reign of Napoleon Bonarparte.

This map is a beautiful and historically interesting world map in hemispheres. The map’s cartouche depicts four women from the different regions of the world. These regions include Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. There are also a number of mermaids and Venus in a half shell present on the cartouche. Printed under Napoleon. It also shows five smaller globes depicting the earth from different aspects.

This map is one of the first maps to show the area of southern Australia and Spencer’s Gulf. Though it was Mathew Flinders who was the first to map this region it was the French explorer Baudin who made it back to Europe first and so this map shows Spencer’s Gulf as Bonaparte’s Gulf, which was in honor of Napoleon who was at the time successfully invading much of Europe. Flinders unaware of the French/English tensions that had intensified in the early 1800’s stopped in for supplies on an island off the African coast and was subsequently arrested and held for many years on the island. When he finally returned to England he published his discoveries, which was some 10 years later in 1814 and shortly before his death. The gulf was then officially renamed Spencer’s Gulf in recognition of its discovery first by him.

The Map is an interesting mix of early Eighteenth century style’s beauty with the ornate cartouche combined with the scientific accuracy and information of the nineteenth century.

View map online on http://www.antiquemapart.com/map/302