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MARITIME ASIA IN THE AGE OF EMPIRE: D’ANVILLE’S MAP OF THE EAST INDIES

This is a highly detailed 18th-century map of the East Indies, which spans from the east coast of Africa and the Indian subcontinent to the Philippines and the western Pacific. The chart is replete with coastal soundings and rhumb lines, reflecting the growing European maritime interests and trade routes in the East. The map is richly embellished with an... MARITIME ASIA IN THE AGE OF EMPIRE: D’ANVILLE’S MAP OF THE EAST INDIES

This is a highly detailed 18th-century map of the East Indies, which spans from the east coast of Africa and the Indian subcontinent to the Philippines and the western Pacific. The chart is replete with coastal soundings and rhumb lines, reflecting the growing European maritime interests and trade routes in the East. The map is richly embellished with an elaborate cartouche located lower left. This chart is among the most accurate and refined geographical representations of the East Indies before the widespread British surveys of the 19th century.

J.B.B. d'Anville, the Royal Geographer to the King of France, produced this elegant and scientifically rigorous map of the East Indies during a period of increasing European exploration and colonisation of Asia. It encompasses an enormous expanse, stretching from Persia and India in the west to China, the Philippines, and parts of northern Australia in the east.

D'Anville’s cartographic method was revolutionary for its time, relying heavily on critical assessment of earlier sources, and his commitment to accuracy represented an important transition from the more decorative but often inaccurate maps of the 17th century. This particular map is based on extensive sources collected by Jesuit missionaries, Dutch and French navigators, and earlier Arab geographers.

The map’s focus on maritime features — including rhumb lines, compass roses, and detailed coastal configurations — reflects its practical utility for navigators. French traders and naval officers frequently used it during the pre-Napoleonic period.

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