Catalog Archive
Auction 154, Lot 665

"A Chart of the China Sea Inscribed to Monsr. d'Apres de Mannevillette the Ingenious Author of the Neptune Oriental...", Dalrymple, Alexander

Subject: South China Sea

Period: 1775 (circa)

Publication: Neptune Oriental

Color: Black & White

Size:
19.1 x 26.2 inches
48.5 x 66.5 cm
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This striking sea chart extends from the southeast coast of China and Taiwan (here Isle Formose) south to the northern portion of Borneo, where Brunei and Malaysia are now located. Part of the Philippines appears at right, including Manila. Hundreds of tiny islands are shown. There is little inland detail, but numerous locations are named along the coasts. Throughout the chart are soundings and the tracks of various voyages between 1752 and 1763, which are identified in a key to the left of the title. A compass rose capped with a fleur-de-lis lies in the center of the map, radiating rhumb lines. Alexander Dalrymple was a Scottish hydrographer who explored the East Indies as an employee of the East India Company.

References:

Condition: B+

A fine impression on a sturdy, watermarked sheet with light toning along the centerfold and minor offsetting. There is a damp stain at left and minor soiling, all confined to the blank margins.

Estimate: $800 - $1,000

Sold for: $600

Closed on 9/16/2015

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