BAY OF BENGAL INDIAN OCEAN 1775 DE MANNEVILLETTE UNUSUAL ANTIQUE SEA CHART

Carte de la Côte Orientale du Golfe de Bengale.

Description: Striking and highly detailed fine unusual 1775 copper engraved sea chart or nautical map of  the eastern coast of Gulf of Bengal. Depth shown by soundings. Includes references and notes.
 
The work titled "Carte de la Cote Orientale du Golfe de Bengale" is a nautical chart map created by Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas-Denis d'Apres de Mannevillette. 
 
Composition and Medium:
 
The chart is engraved, a common technique in the early 19th century for producing detailed and accurate maps. The medium used is likely paper, bound in the atlas with quarter calf and green papered boards.
 
Style and Features:
 
The map is characterized by its precise and functional style, typical of nautical charts of the period. It features rhumb lines that radiate from compass roses, aiding navigators in plotting courses. The soundings, depicted as numbers within the sea areas, indicate water depth, crucial for safe navigation.
 
Subject Matter:
 
The chart focuses on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Bengal. It includes various geographical features such as coastal outlines, islands, and depth soundings. Landmarks and coastal features are labeled, providing important navigational information for mariners.
 
Cultural and Historical Context:
 
This map is part of a larger collection intended for use by naval officers navigating the eastern oceans, reflecting the period's maritime exploration and trade expansion. The atlas it belongs to, "Neptune Oriental," was a critical resource for French navigators, providing updated and comprehensive charts based on both historical and contemporary surveys.
 
Significant Aspects:
 
- Landmarks and Inscriptions: Coastal names and features are inscribed, though specific modern place names are not detailed.
 
- Navigation Aids: The use of rhumb lines and depth soundings exemplifies the period's navigational techniques.
 
- Historical Importance: As part of the "Neptune Oriental," this map contributes to our understanding of 18th and early 19th-century maritime navigation and chart-making advancements.
 
Publication Details:
 
This chart is from an atlas containing 69 maps, compiled from various sources, including earlier editions and recent surveys. The "Neptune Oriental" was first published in 1745 and saw updates and expansions in subsequent editions, reflecting ongoing discoveries and advancements in hydrography.
 
Overall, the chart is a testament to the period's cartographic skills and the strategic importance of nautical charts in facilitating global trade and exploration.

Date: 1775 ( undated )

Dimension: Paper size approx.: cm 40,4 x 54,3

Condition: Very strong and dark impression on good paper. Map old original colored. Wide margins. Small foxing and browning. Small moisture signs. Small marginal tears. Conditions are as you can see in the images. 

Mapmaker: Jean-Baptiste d'Après de Mannevillette (February 11, 1707 - March 1, 1780) was a French sailor, navigator, and hydrographer active in the mid-18th century. Mannevillette was born in Le Havre to a family of wealthy seafarers. He completed his first major voyage at 12, when he accompanied his father, Jean-Baptiste-Claude d'Après de Blangy, a captain of the Compagnie des Indes (French East India Company) vessel Solide to Bengal. On his return to France, he he studied mathematics and navigation in Paris under Joseph Nicholas De L'Isle (1688 - 1768) before returning to the sea at 19 as a fourth officer as on the merchant vessel Marechel d'Estrees. Mannevillette himself eventually attained the rank of Captain with the Compagnie des Indes. In the course of numerous voyages around Africa to India and China, Mannevillette collected and revised numerous nautical charts. His sophisticated use of the most modern instruments, most specifically the Octant or English Quarter, and keen mathematical mind, enabled Mannevillette to correct many significant errors common to earlier maps. These updates were eventually compiled and published in Mannevillette's most significant work, the 1745 Le Neptune Oriental. The 1745 Neptune Oriental was commissioned by the Compagnie des Indes and its production earned Mannevillette admission into the Academy of Sciences. The atlas was well received, but shortly after publication, most unsold examples were destroyed by the French Admiralty, who considered the secrets of East Indian navigation too dangerous for dissemination. In 1762 the Compagnie des Indes appointed Mannevillette director of chart at Lorient. In 1767 King Louis XV conferred the Order of St. Michael upon him and made him an associate of the Royal Marine Academy. In the 30 years following his first publication of Le Neptune Oriental, Mannevillette worked doggedly with his lifelong friend, Alexander Dalrymple (1737 - 1808) to update his original work with new and improved charts. In 1775, he republished his opus in a greatly expanded format - by this time nautical information was less tightly guarded. Mannevillette died on March 1, 1780 at 75 years of age.