Important Notice

This is a superb, original-color example of Pierre Mortier's 1700 chart and map of the Indian Ocean. This grand, two-sheet engraving also maps the surrounding lands of eastern Africa, Arabia, Persia, India, and the Malay Peninsula. Countless islands include the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Sumatra. As indicated by the presence of two separate cartouches, the two sheets could also be had as separate works: however, in Mortier's mammoth Neptune... This is a superb, original-color example of Pierre Mortier's 1700 chart and map of the Indian Ocean. This grand, two-sheet engraving also maps the surrounding lands of eastern Africa, Arabia, Persia, India, and the Malay Peninsula. Countless islands include the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Sumatra. As indicated by the presence of two separate cartouches, the two sheets could also be had as separate works: however, in Mortier's mammoth Neptune François they were frequently bound joined, as here.

This is a superb, original-color example of Pierre Mortier's 1700 chart and map of the Indian Ocean. This expansive, two-sheet engraving also depicts the adjacent regions of the Malay Peninsula, Arabia, Persia, India, and eastern Africa. The Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Sumatra are among the numerous islands. The two sheets could also be considered discrete works, as evidenced by the presence of two distinct cartouches titled 'Partie occidentale d'une partie d'Asie, ou sont les isles de Zocotora, de l'Amirante' and 'Carte particulière d'une partie d'Asie ou sont les isles d'Andemaon, Ceylan, les Maldives'. However, they were frequently bound together in Mortier's mammoth Neptune François, as seen here.

There are scales for French, Spanish, and German teams in each cartouche. In the Arabian Sea, off the coast of the Horn of Africa, there is one compass rose. To the south, in the Bay of Bengal, there is another. The map's main focus is on sea travel, but it shows a lot of information about the inside as well. Multiple rhumb lines crisscross the waters, and island groups like the Maldives, Andamans, Nicobars, Seychelles (Amirante), and Socotra are shown in great detail. Stippling is used to show sandbars and small seas along the coasts of places like the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indus Delta.

The Mughal Empire takes up most of the middle of the map, and many southern Indian states can be seen. To the east, the Kingdoms of Siam, Mataban, Pegu, and Tibet can be found. The western portion of the map foregrounds the Persian Safavid Empire. In the Arabian Peninsula (Arabie Heureuse) and Yemen (Grand Jaman) are recognizable. Mecca, Medina, and other key cities are also shown. The work's beautiful engraving skillfully mixes the details on the land with rhumb lines and compass roses in the water areas. Inland topographical features are indicated pictorially.

Before the Dutch took over in the 1600s, these seas were controlled by the East India Company, which they had taken from the Portuguese in the early 1600s. By 1700, the English, French, and even the Danish were becoming more and more of a threat to the Dutch dominance in Asia. Especially in the 18th century, India became part of the English sphere of power. So, English and French hydrographers made further progress in drawing and charting these areas in the future.

Pierre Mortier, also known as Pieter Mortier, was a geographer, engraver, and print seller in Amsterdam from the late 1700s to early 1800s. He was born on January 26, 1661 and died on February 18, 1711. Mortier, then known as Pieter, was born in Leiden. From 1681 to 1685, he lived in Paris and changed his name to Pierre, which he kept throughout his career. As he lived in France, he made many friends there by giving new French map printers like Guillaume De L'Isle (1675–1726), Alexis-Hubert Jaillot (c. 1632–1712), and Nicholas de Fer (1646–1720) advanced Dutch printing technology and his own experience. Because of this, a big part of Mortier's business was publishing fancy, high-quality copies of modern French maps, usually with the authors' agreement. In the bigger picture of world cartography, this was a big advantage, since most Dutch map publishers were now reprinting old maps. On the other hand, French cartographers were making the most detailed and up-to-date maps of anywhere. The beautiful nautical atlas Le Neptune Francois was the culmination of Mortier's work as a cartographer. In 1690, he was given the Privilege, which was an early form of copyright. When Pierre died in 1711, his wife took over the business. His son Cornelius Mortier took over running the business day to day in 1721. Cornelius teamed up with his brother-in-law Jean Covens to make Covens and Mortier, which was one of the best cartographic teams in history and kept putting out maps and atlases until around 1866.

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