French Cartography - simply decorative

Unlike any other country (perhaps with the exception of England), there is a wide choice of decorative antique maps of the different counties or départements of France. http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-14-french-departments.aspx The French are unsurpassed in their artistic inclination. While the maps of Levasseur (featured in a previous Blog) are undoubtedly the most intricate and informative cartographic representation of any country, there were many other French mapmakers who produced elegant and informative maps of the départements of France - particularly during the 19th century.

The most imaginative of these were published in Paris circa 1834. Small maps of each department were drawn by Aristede-Michel Perrot and beautifully engraved by Blanchard. Each map showed a department surrounded by a composite of small illustrations of the region's produce and industry - sometimes presenting the map as drawn on the hide of an animal. [Aveyron, Perrot c1834]
Elegant maps by Lorrain were engraved by Dandeleux and Chullier for Atlas Departemental La France et ses Colonies published at Versailles circa 1836 by Andrieux and Barreswil. Charles Monin's maps published around the same time, concentrated on the geography of the department, but were still enhanced by a vignette of an important scene. In the 1870s, maps by Alexandre Vuillemin were strongly engraved and decorated by a cluster of vignettes of major towns, ancient ruins, coats of arms, and head studies of important historical, literary, or royal personages. [Nord, Vuillemin c1870]
Earlier maps, for example those for Atlas Historique et Geographique (Atlas of History and Geography) published in Paris circa 1770 by Louis Charles Desnos (1725-1805), were engraved by Cartographer Royal to the King of France, Brion de la Tour, and embellished by a simple cartouche (title piece) simply surrounded by representative scenery instead of the more usual cartouche scroll, but containing information about the history of the region and the mapmaker. [Les Gouvernemens de Poitou, de Berri, de Bourbonnois, et de Nivernois. Desnos, c1770] We have a wide selection of the departments of France, from the early17th century on. Select from our website at http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-14-french-departments.aspx 

French Cartography: Superb and Decorative

A French cartographer’s superb world map (Henri Chatelain, circa 1718).
Carte tres curieuse de la Mer du Sud, contenant des remarques nouvelles et tres utiles.. (Very curious map of the Southern Seas, containing new and very useful remarks..)

A very special map, this is one of the largest and most magnificent world maps ever produced. Created by Henri Abraham Chatelain (1684-1743), a Huguenot pastor from Paris, assisted by his father and brother (both Zacharie Chatelain), for Chatelain’s "Atlas Historique, ou Nouvelle Introduction a l’Histoire, a la Chronologie et Moderne", published in Amsterdam between 1705 and 1720. Four large copperplate engravings were joined to create this superb map. The definition of the engraving is beautifully enhanced by the fine hand-colour, to provide a vivid narration of exploration, customs, and beliefs at that time.

The engraved coastlines were based on earlier charts by the eminent French cartographer Guillaume Delisle (1675-1726). Australia is a little mis-shapen and incomplete, but overall the map is relatively geographically correct for the time - except that it still shows California as an island which had been disproved by the date of publication, but is a fascinating concept. The strong definition of the engraving is beautifully enhanced by the fine hand-colour, to provide a vivid narration of exploration, customs, and beliefs at that time. 

The map shows Niagara Falls, a sugar mill, beavers building, bear hunting, turtle fishing, cod fish drying, other fauna and flora, native customs, the attack of Cortés on Veracruz, missionaries, explorers, medallion portraits, important islands, ports and town plans, ships on the sea, the commercial routes of the period, and explorers’ routes, with the names and routes of significant expeditions. With its absorbing and unusual engravings of cosmography, geography, history, genealogy, heraldry, portraits, topography, and regional costumes, accompanied by descriptions of regional activities, this map is a brilliant visual representation of discovery and commerce - particularly in the New World - prior to being fully and accurately charted.

This map is available as currently framed in conservation materials, or unframed for shipment. Further images are available if required. http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-3-americascanada.aspx

The engraved map measures approximately 32 inches x 56 inches (82 x 143 cm). 

French Cartography: Creatively Decorative..

French Département maps

Fortunately, an over-active imagination is not the only creative talent for which French cartographers are known. They are also famous for their ornate decoration. Some of the most elaborately decorated maps ever made are Victor Levasseur’s maps of the French départements.

A French engineer and geographer, Levasseur flourished as a mapmaker between 1838 and 1854. His département maps are easily recognisable. For his grand Atlas National Illustre, published in Paris circa 1854, he surrounded each département map with a beautifully engraved narrative of the region, including illustrations of produce, commerce, coats of arms, local landmarks, peasants in costume, historically important people and scrolls of statistics.One of the most beautiful of all his maps is this map of the department of Gironde published in Paris circa 1852. Vew it on our website at
http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/p-36-gironde-aquitaine-france-department-beautiful-antique-map-levasseur-c1852.aspx

French Cartography - Creativity of Coastlines..

There are few things as fascinating and evocative as an antique map. Unlike the highly functional maps of today, maps used to be decorative works of art, that not only portrayed a country's geography but also its culture and history.

In the case of many French mapmakers, the portrayal of a region on a map, was often an indication of where it was made! A number of French cartographers had a reputation for a fairly creative approach to the art of making maps. One of the best known examples of this kind of map (and the map that is probably best known in Australia), is undoubtedly the mid-18th century map by the Hydrographical Engineer of the French Navy, Hydrographer to the King, and member of the Royal Society of London, Jacques Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772). Bellin was commissioned by the King of France to survey all the known coastlines of the world. 

On his Cartes Reduite des Terres Australes (Reduced Chart of the Southern Lands) map of Australia (Nouvelle Hollande as it was then known) Bellin used a dotted line to join Tasmania to Vanuata (Espritu Santu) and Papua New Guinea.

His supposition 'followed European thought of the time' - 20 years before Captain Cook's discovery and charting of the east coast and named it New South Wales. At least Bellin printed along the wavy dotted line (in French) "I suppose that Van Diemen's Land could join with the Land of the Holy Ghost, but without proof.."  This will always be one of my favourite antique maps! http://www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-9-australianzng.aspx

Australian botanicals.. ‘native’ or ‘exotic’?

In botany, the word ‘exotic’ is used to indicate a botanical specimen has been introduced from another country. Many people describe our own native plants as ‘exotic’, meaning they have unusual foliage and flowers, - different from the better-known introduced annuals and perennials. Australia's flower emblem is the Acacia - better known as Wattle, and we illustrate this article with examples of original antique prints of these that are available  from the Antique Print Club.

Hundreds of years ago explorers travelled from Europe in search of new lands - to claim and settle, or to use as a source for trade. Whether by a professional botanist, a ship’s doctor, or an artistic crew member given the task, on these early voyages sketches were made of the first European sightings of Australian flora – limited only by accuracy in scientific observation and artistic skill of the artist.

In England in the 18th century, following public demand, many works were published to illustrate beautiful botany from around the world. William Curtis (1746-1799) was Praefectus Hortis of Chelsea Physic Garden in London. He began lectures at Kew Gardens in London in 1787 and began illustrating the plants he discussed. “The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed” was published by Curtis to illustrate plants from around the world “in response.. to.. solicitations for a work.. (combining) Botany and Gardening”. Continuously published since then, it is now known as “The Kew Magazine”. Finely engraved, partially coloured to show the dissection details of flowers and leaves, the narrow upper right image is an excellent example of Curtis hand-coloured engravings.

William Curtis nurtured the artistic talent of many botanical artists. In the same year as the first series of botanical plates was issued, Curtis was introduced to and was impressed by the artistic ability of a young Welshman, Sydenham Teast Edwards (1769-1819). Curtis brought him to London and trained him in the art of botanical illustration. For over twenty years until William Curtis died, Sydenham Edwards sketched most of the illustrations for "Curtis’s Botanical Magazine". From his sketches, Francis Sansom created finely engraved copperplates which were printed on hand-made paper and individually hand-coloured with natural pigments. Curtis illustrations with their fine detail, which often includes dissections of the flower, have always been revered, not only for their beauty but also for their scientific accuracy. When the interesting accompanying text has also survived with the botanical study, they are a wonderful treasure.

Pierre Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) was born in Luxembourg and became a painter and interior decorator like his father and grandfather. In 1782 he worked in Paris with his older brother, but was persuaded to illustrate flowers instead, by two botanists who appreciated his artistic skill. Except during 1787-8 when he studied botanical specimens at Kew Gardens in London, Redouté spent most of his life sketching and painting for numerous botanical publications in France. He was appointed to the court of Marie Antoinette, and after the revolution worked at the Museum of Natural History in Paris. A master of the stipple engraving process he learned in England and introduced to France, Redouté dominated botanical painting in France from 1790 to 1830.

Napoleon Bonaparte had always been interested in gardening and science. His first wife, Josephine, acquired a large collection of plants from around the world for her famous gardens at Petite Trianon and later Malmaison. She was patron to Redoute and later appointed him court artist. Although Redouté is probably best known today for his beautiful illustrations of Roses and Lilies, his largest work was his Choix des Plus Belles Fleurs.., (his choice of most beautiful flowers and fruit). We are indebted to Napoleon’s love of science and exploration, for wonderful, large, rarely-seen botanical images of Australian flora by Redouté, published around 1800.

In England, Benjamin Maund (1790-1863) was a pharmacist, botanist, printer, bookseller, and fellow of the Linnean Society (from 1827). Maund published botanical illustrations from 1825 in “The Botanist: containing accurately coloured figures, of tender and hardy ornamental plants..”. Maund’s charming botanical images have uncoloured sections of the main beautifully drawn floral specimen, as well as of the additional flower and foliage detail. They are delightful works, showing meticulous detail in each finely hand-coloured engraving.

The superbly coloured botanical lithographs and engravings that were published by Joseph Paxton are quite a contrast in style. Almost glamorous by comparison, on thicker paper (not hand-made), they usually show slight age discolouration; but I think this actually adds to the charm of these brightly coloured antique prints.

Despite little education Joseph Paxton (1803-1865) had considerable talent as both architect and engineer, but was better known as a landscape gardener after being head gardener at one of the finest landscaped gardens in England, Chatsworth House. In 1831 Paxton began publishing botanical illustrations as a monthly magazine, “The Horticultural Register”. This was followed from 1834 to 1849 with hundreds of superb aquatints and hand-coloured lithographs for his “Magazine of Botany”. Paxton published other botanical works, but no antique prints surpassed the quality of these, with the depth and crispness of their colour.

Today, as cities become more densely populated and people move into apartment buildings and lose their gardens, the benefit of botanical pictures on our walls cannot be over-estimated. As well as being decorative, botanical artwork brings peace to a structural environment. Whether a haven away from work, an educational and active family environment, or a place where you spend a relaxing retirement, homes can all be improved by framed botanical artwork. Select from a great collection of antique prints of Australian native flora at www.antiqueprintclub.com/c-20-botanicalsfruit.aspx