1787 - A fine and rare original antique map titled: ' MAPPE-MONDE ou Description du Globe Terrestre, Assujettie auyx Observ Astronom '
PROVENANCE: Taken from "ATLAS OU COLLECTION DE CARTES GEOGRAPHIQUES POUR L'INTELLIGENCE DU VOYAGEUR FRANCOIS"published by Joseph de Laporte.

Overall size of the map is 25cm x 20cm including the margins.

A Decorative and detailed map, by Louis Brion de la Tour, in Double Hempspheres showing a very large Polar landmass in North America jutting out into the North Pacific and creating a wide Northwest Passage. Monde de l'Ouest is connected to this passage, thereby creating an oldd island of part of the coast. The east coast of Australia is still conjectural and is depicted joined to New Guinea in the north and Tasmania in the South. The map is adorned with a very decorative title cartouche with leaves, flowers and scrolls.

CARTOGRAPHER: Louis Brion de la Tour (c1743 - 1803) was the Cartographer Royal to the King of France. There is little information about his life. His official title was "King's Engineer Geographer." Although he is a prolific geographer, very little is currently known of his life or his career. His life was spent in scientific work. However what is known is an important part of his work was done in collaboration with Louis Charles Desnos (1750-1790 to) a bookseller and geographical engineer for the globes and spheres of His Danish Majesty.

His son Louis Brion de la Tour, a pupil of Jean-Bernard Restout, was engraver of maps and documents of the Revolution, and was also an occasional portrait oil paintings.
Joseph de Laporte (1714 - 1779) was an 18th Century French Priest, literary critic, poet, playwright and prolific author.