Carte De L'Isle De La Martinique

Amsterdam: Covens and Mortier. Map. Original engraving. Image measures 18 x 23 inches. Sheet measures 20 3/4 x 25 3/4 inches.<br/> <br/> Large scale map of the island with excellent detail on elevation and safe soundings and fresh water noted, in French and Dutch. <br> <br> The Amsterdam publishing firm of Covens and Mortier (1665-c. 1862) was established by Cornelius Mortier and Jean Covens. Together, the two republished the works of great 17th and early 18th century Dutch and French cartographers such as De L'Isle, Allard, Jansson, De Wit, and Ottens. The firm quickly grew into one of the largest and most prolific Dutch publishing outfits of the 18th century and enjoyed a long and prolific life under a variety of names.<br> <br> Guillaume Delisle (1675-1726) was a legendary French cartographer known for introducing a new standard of accuracy into 17th-century mapmaking. He was one of the cartographers who propelled the French school of map-making away from Dutch dominance. The French school emphasized science and accuracy over ornament. He used astronomical observations to determine locations and draw more precise coastlines and he continued to update his maps in order to dispel prevailing geographical inaccuracies throughout his life. His wife Marie Angelique Delisle and her family took over the business and kept publishing maps well into the late 18th century.<br/> <br/>