Finely engraved map that focuses on Mexico, Central America, northern South America and all of the islands of the West Indies. There is no topographical detail in the nascent U.S. The map is embellished with a rococo-style cartouche. The highly decorative borders were printed from a separate copperplate and the French text panels at both sides of map were also printed on a separate plate, trimmed and then pasted on the page. A labor intensive method that few other publishers utilized. The borders feature putti working with globes and surveying equipment.

References:

Condition: B+

On thick paper with original hand coloring. A little uneven toning or foxing mostly in lower left quadrant. Two tracks at lower edges in margins and away from border.