SICILY CARTE DE L'ISLE ET ROYAUME DE SICILE
£395
Detailed and rare issue of this map of Sicily prepared by de L'Isle. Beautiful rendering of Mt. Etna. An inset map of the islands of Malta and Gozzo, " Carte particuliere des Isles de Malte et des iles voisines." The Amsterdam publishing firm of Covens and Mortier (1721 - c. 1862) was the successor to the extensive publishing empire build by Frenchman Pierre Mortier (1661 - 1711). Upon Mortier's death in 1711 his firm was taken over by his son, Cornelius Mortier (1699 - 1783). Cornelius married the sister of Johannes Covens (1697 - 1774) in 1821 and, partnering with his brother in law, established the Covens and Mortier firm. Under the Covens and Mortier imprint, Cornelius and Pierre republished the works of the great 17th and early 18th century cartographers De L'Isle, Allard, Jansson, De Wit, and Ottens among others. The quickly became one of the largest and most prolific Dutch publishing concerns of the 18th century. The firm and its successors published thousands of maps over a 120 year period from 1721 to the mid 1800s. Very good condition Reference: Marco van Egmond, A Map-publishing House in Amsterdam 1685-1866.code : M2151
Cartographer : DE L'ISLE Family
Date : 1700/1744
Size : 47*58cms
availability : Available
Price : £395
Claude de l'Isle (1644-1720) was a geographer and historian working in Paris, but was overshadowed by his more famous son, Guillaume (1675-1726), who is probably the greatest figure in French cartography. Having learnt geography from his father, it is said that at the age of eight or nine he could draw maps to demonstrate ancient history. He studied mathematics and astronomy under J.D Cassini, where he received the grounding in scientific cartography, that is the hallmark of his work.
His first atlas was published in about 1700, in 1702 he was elected a member of the Academie Royale des Sciences, and in 1718 he became 'Premier Geographe du Roi'. His maps of the newly explored parts of the world reflect the most up-to-date information available and did not contain fanciful detail in the absence of solid information.
His work was important as marking a transition from the maps of the Dutch school, which were highly decorative and artistically-orientated, to a more scientific approach.
De L'Isle also played a prominent part in the recalculation of latitude and longitude, based on the most up-to-date celestial observations. His major contribution was in collating and incorporating this latitudinal and longitudinal information in his maps, setting a new standard of accuracy, quickly followed by many of his contemporaries. Guillaume De L'Isle's reputation was such that pirated versions appeared in many countries, most particularly by Chatelain and Covens and Mortier.
After his death in 1726 the business was continued by his nephew Philippe Buache, and subsequently by J. Dezauche.
