World Map in Two Hemispheres by Nicolas Sanson 1718
Hand-coloured copperplate engraving.
1718, Amsterdam.
By Nicolas Sanson (1600–1667) Royal Geographer.
Nicolas Sanson (20 December 1600 – 7 July 1667) was a French cartographer who served under two kings in matters of geography. He has been called the "father of French cartography."
California is depicted as an island.
275mm x 255mm (framed)
R10,000
This 1718 hand-colored double-hemisphere world map, titled Mappe-Monde ou Carte Générale du Globe Terrestre, represents the legacy of the "Father of French Cartography," Nicolas Sanson (1600–1667), published posthumously in Amsterdam.
Key Historical & Cartographic Aspects
California Depicted as an Island: A defining feature of this map is the depiction of California as a large, elongated island severed from the North American mainland. This cartographic myth persisted across European publishing houses for over a century—sparked by a 1602 Spanish expedition report—until King Ferdinand VI of Spain issued a royal decree in 1747 declaring that "California is not an island."
The Legacy of Nicolas Sanson: Sanson was named Géographe Ordinaire du Roi to Louis XIII and Louis XIV, pioneering the 17th-century French scientific style that stripped away speculative embellishments in favor of measured geographical data. After his death, his sons and Dutch publishers (such as Mortier and Covens) updated and re-engraved his famous copperplates well into the 18th century to meet high demand across Europe.
An Unmapped Pacific & Legendary Southern Continent:
Terra Australis Incognita: The vast southern polar region features the sprawling, hypothetical continent of Terres Magellaniques or T. Magellanique Australe, reflecting pre-Cook geographical theory that a massive landmass was required in the south to balance the weight of the northern continents.
Incomplete Australia & New Zealand: Australia (Nouvelle Hollande) is mapped only along its west and north coasts based on 17th-century Dutch East India Company (VOC) charts, while New Zealand appears merely as a single partial coastline following Abel Tasman's 1642 voyage.
Allegorical Vignettes & Banners: The banner cartouche across the top, set against dramatic rolling clouds and flanked by classical figures, allegorical symbols of the continents, and native inhabitants around the base, epitomizes the decorative Dutch-French transition style of early 18th-century atlas mapmaking.
