1788 Brion de la Tour Map of Mexico, Central America and the West Indies ( Antilles )
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Description: A stunning decorative 1766 map of Mexico, Central America and the West Indies by Louis Brion de la Tour. Covers from the Chesapeake Bay south to Peru and the Amazon but focuses on Mexico and the Caribbean region. Decorative baroque style title cartouche in the upper right quadrant of the map proper. Flanked on either side by a textual description of the region in French. Surrounded by a magnificent baroque border featuring cherubs engaged in the study of geography and mapmaking. Prepared by Louis Brion de la Tour and published by S. Desnos in their 1767 issue of the Atlas Generale…
Date: 1766 (dated)
Source: Brion de la Tour, Louis, Atlas Generale, Civil et Ecclesiastique, Methodique et Elementaire pour l'etude de la geographie et de l'historie. (1767 edition).
References: Phillips (Maps of America), p. 801.
Cartographer: Louis Brion de la Tour (1756-1823) was the Cartographer Royal to the King of France, his official title being "Ingenieur-Geographe du Roi". Despite a prolific cartographic career and several important atlases to his name, little is actually known of his life and career. What is known is that much of his work was produced in collaboration with Danish royal Cartographer Louis Charles Desnos (fl. 1750 - 1790). His most notable work is generally regarded to be his 1766 Atlas General. Click here for a list of rare maps from Louis Brion de la Tour.
Cartographer: Louis Charles Desnos (1725-1805) was an important 18th century instrument maker, cartographer and globe maker based in Paris, France. Desnos held the coveted position of Royal Globemaker to the King of Denmark, Christian VII, for which he received a stipend of 500 Livres annually. In return Desnos sent the King roughly 200 Livres worth of maps, books and atlases each year. As a publisher, Desnos produced a substantial corpus of work and is often associated with Zannoni and Louis Brion de la Tour (1756-1823). Despite or perhaps because of the sheer quantity of maps Desnos published he acquired a poor reputation among serious cartographic experts, who considered him undiscerning and unscrupulous regarding what he would and would not publish. Desnos consequently had a long history of legal battles with other Parisian cartographers and publishers of the period. It is said that he published everything set before him without regard to accuracy, veracity, or copyright law. Desnos had his office on Rue St. Jacques, Paris. Click here for a list of rare maps from Louis Charles Desnos.
Size: Printed area measures 20 x 15 inches (50.8 x 38.1 centimeters)
Condition: Very good condition. Original centerfold. Blank on verso. Minor repaired wormhoses on bottom margin - does not extend into printed zone.
Code: Antilles-brion-1766 (Necessary for phone inquiries: 646-320-8650)
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