Attractive copper line engraved map produced by Bellin to accompany  Prevost's 'Histoire General des Voyages'. Jacques Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was probably the most important French cartographer of the mid-eighteenth century. He was appointed the first Ingenieur Hydrographe de la Marine, and also Official Hydrographer to the King. The present map was published circa 1750..

Measures approx. 210 x 160 mm. Good condition, see photo. old folds..

Hand coloured.

A guaranteed genuine antique map.

JACQUES BELLIN

Jacques Nicolas Bellin (1703 – 21 March 1772) was a French  hydrographer ,  geographer , and member of the French intellectual group called the  philosophes. Bellin was born in Paris. He was hydrographer of France's  hydrographic office , member of the Académie de Marine and of the  Royal

Society  of London. Over a 50-year career, he produced many maps of particular interest to the Ministère de la Marine. His maps of Canada and of French territories in North America ( New France ,  Acadia ,  Louisiana ) are particularly valuable. He died at  Versailles.

In 1721, at age 18, he was appointed hydrographer (chief cartographer) to the French Navy. In August 1741, he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Dépot des cartes et plans de la Marine (the French Hydrographical Office) and was named Official Hydrographer of the French King. During his reign the Depot published a prodigious number of charts and maps, among which were large folio-format sea-charts of France, the Neptune Francois. He also produced a number of sea-atlases of the world, e.g., the Atlas Maritime and the Hydrographie Francaise. These gained fame, distinction and respect all over Europe and were republished throughout the 18th and even in the succeeding century.

Bellin also created smaller format maps such as the 1764 Petit Atlas Maritime (5 vols.) containing 580 finely detailed charts.

Bellin set a very high standard of workmanship and accuracy thus gaining for France a leading role in European cartography and geography. Many of his maps were copied by other mapmakers of Europe.