Beautiful Covens and Mortier edition of this map by Carollus Allard (1643-1709) presented in original hand colour.



The map shows important re-mapping of the Great Lakes region. As described in Philip Burden's authoritative study "The Mapping of North America II";


"The [lakes] are entirely re-engraved as are the nearby waterways off the St. Lawrence River including Lake Champlain, which is moved south-west. Lake Superior is now enclosed to the west as is Lac des Puans, which is renamed Lac Illinois, placing the previous toponym correctly in Green Bay. To the west an entirely new and more recent depiction of the Mississippi valley is inserted. This is derived from that of Louis Hennepin ... published in 1697".



An interesting feature on this map is the inclusion of a mythical joining landmass named "Terra Esonis" which joins the northwest coast of the Americas to Japan. From around 1560, another mythical curiosity existed - Strait of Anián - which was supposedly the strait and boundary between Asia and North America. (Anian marked on the American side of Esonis). After being traversed in 1728 by Captain Vitus Bering it became known as the Bering Strait. Later corrections to the Pacific northwest coastline develop in the late 18th Century after landmark explorations by Captains Cook and Vancouver, and Lewis and Clark's 1805 North West Passage expedition.



California is shown as an island and this projection is based upon work by French cartographer Nicolas Sanson. This depiction of California was common and copied on maps of the region until as late as c.1750 after reports from missionary and explorer Eusebio Francisco Kino who in 1701 proved that Baja California was in fact a peninsula and not an island.



An early northern Australian coastline, named Quiri Regio, shows the now Gulf of Carpentaria, and slightly below this presented in an inset map of the latest discoveries in New Zealand.



A dominating and highly decorative cartouche shows the allegorical figure, America, surrounded by a wealth of commodities including gold, sugar cane and pineapples.



In between the neatline and the map are descriptions of the climate across North America.



Original hand colour. [Ref; Burden, P: "The Mapping of North America II": 724] [AMER2151]