Acquired From: Leen Helmink
Colouring: Coloured
Condition: Excellent
Confirmed: Yes
Date Acquired: Dec 2025
Dealers ID No.: 19757
Description: This finely engraved chart of the eastern coast of Africa and the western Indian Ocean was issued in 1708 as part of Pierre Mortiers expanded edition of the Neptune François. The atlas, originally published in 1693 through a collaboration between Hubert Jaillot in Paris and Mortier in Amsterdam, became one of the most influential nautical works of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.nThe chart extends from Cape Delgado in the north to the Rio Mocambo, just south of the island and city of Mozambique, and extends eastward across the western Indian Ocean. It is particularly significant for its early and detailed depiction of the Comoro Islands, here shown and named individually: Grande Comore (Ngazidja), Mohéli (Mwali), Anjouan (Ndzuani), and the disputed island of Mayotte, identified under its early name Motale. An inset in the upper left further highlights Anjouan, underscoring the strategic importance of the archipelago as a navigational and commercial staging point along Indian Ocean maritime routes linking East Africa, Arabia, India, and Southeast Asia.nThe coastal nomenclature reflects a strong reliance on Portuguese hydrographic sources, consistent with Portugals early dominance in Indian Ocean navigation. A boldly engraved compass rose occupies the upper central portion of the chart, reinforcing its practical navigational function while also enhancing its visual authority. Following Mortiers death in 1711, the plates were acquired by Gerard van Keulen, under whose imprint the chart continued to circulate, attesting to its enduring navigational and commercial value.
First published: Neptune François, Amsterdam: Pierre Mortier, 1708
Image Size (cm): 39.5×58
Mapmaker: Mortier, Pierre (1661-1711)
Other states: Later states were published by Gerard van Keulen after he acquired the plates sometime before 1726. These editions bear his imprint
Primary Category: Sea Chart
Rarity: R2 Very rare – one or two copies appear on the market
Technique: Copper Engraving
This state: 1708, First
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