Part of the East Coast of Africa with the Island of Madagascar (1784)

Parte della Costa Orientale dell' Africa con l' Isola di Madagascar e le Carte particolari dell' Isole di Francia e di Borbon (Part of the East Coast of Africa with the Island of Madagascar and detailed maps of the Islands of France and Bourbon).
By Antonio Zatta (and sons). Venice 1784
Copperplate engraving by G. Pitteri (noted in the bottom right corner).

This map was part of Zatta's monumental work, Atlante Novissimo, which was one of the last great decorative atlases of the hand-press era.

• Coast of East Africa depicts the coast of modern-day Mozambique and Zimbabwe, then referred to as the regions of Sofala, Sabi, and Inhambane. You can see the "Stato di Monomotapa" (the Mutapa Empire), which fascinated Europeans for centuries due to its legendary gold mines and the ruins of Great Zimbabwe.

• Madagascar: A very detailed rendering for the period, showing the various tribal regions and coastal ports.

• Inland Insets: * Isola Borbon: Now known as Réunion.

• Isola di Francia: Now known as Mauritius.

The map features a beautiful Rococo-style cartouche in the upper right, which is a hallmark of Zatta’s style.

Historical Context

By 1784, the East African coast was a complex theater of influence between Portuguese colonial outposts (like Mozambique Island and Sofala) and local African kingdoms.

Zatta's maps are famous for their aesthetic appeal—they were printed using copperplate engraving and were often sold with delicate hand-coloring (though this specific copy appears to be an uncolored or lightly toned "black and white" strike). The paper usually features a distinctive watermark from the Venetian mills of the period.

This map has unfortunately been cropped at the edges and bleached. The plate mark is no longer visible.

420mm x 330mm

R1,500