GUINEA WEST AFRICA 1677 PIERRE DU VAL UNUSUAL ANTIQUE COPPER ENGRAVED MAP

Costes de Guinèe avec les Royaumes qui y sont connus des Européens, au dedans de terre; Selon les Relations les plus nouvelles: Par P. duval Geographe du Roi. À Paris, Chez l'Auteur sur le Quay de l'horloge, au coin de la rüe de Harlay. 1677. 

Description: Striking and highly detailed fine unusual 1677 Pierre du Val's copper engraved map of the region extending from present-day Sierra Leone and Liberia to the Gulf of Guinea, including the Kingdom of Benin and the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe.
 
Historical Coastal Names: The map highlights historic European colonial trading divisions, such as the Côte des Malaguettes (Pepper Coast), the Côte des Dents (Ivory Coast), and the Côte de l'Or (Gold Coast).
 
Continental Interior: The inland areas are designated as Partie de Nigritie (Nigrizia) and Guinee, with rivers, stylized mountain ranges, and the names of local kingdoms and tribes such as the Mandingos.
 
Cartographic Elements: At the bottom center is a large compass rose that intersects the Ligne Equinoctiale (Equator) and the Grand Ocean. At the bottom left is a zoom-in box detailing a specific section of the coast.

The cartouche is richly decorated with elements related to the colonial iconography of the time:
 
Elephant tusks: Symbol of the ivory trade (hence the name Ivory Coast).
 
Figures of cherubs/children: Depicted with horns and instruments reminiscent of indigenous peoples.
 
Baskets of goods: Alluding to the commercial wealth and exotic products of the Guinea region.

Date: 1677 ( dated )

Dimension: Map size approx.: cm 53,8 x 33,9

Condition: Very strong and dark impression on good paper. Paper with chains and wiremarks. Map uncolored. All the margins missing. Map heavy browned. Small tear at the top along central fold. Map folded. Conditions are as you can see in the images. 

Mapmaker: Pierre Duval (1618-1683) was a French geographer, cartographer, and publisher who worked in Abbeville and Paris during the seventeenth century. He was born in the former city, in northeast France, before moving to Paris. Duval was the nephew of the famous cartographer Nicolas Sanson, from whom he learned the mapmaker's art and skills. Both men worked at the royal court, having followed the royal request for artists to relocate to Paris. In addition to numerous maps and atlases, Du Val's opus also includes geography texts. He held the title of geographe ordinaire du roi from 1650 and died in 1683, when his wife and daughters took over his business.