1782 De L'Isle Map of Ceylon or Sri Lanka
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Description: The Dezauche issue of Guillaume de L'Isle's fine map of Ceylon or Sri Lanka. A fine example of De L'Isle's work this map covers the entire island of Ceylon as well as the surrounding seas and parts of adjacent India. As this map was issued control of Ceylon and the rich spice and tea trade that the island represented was hotly contested between the Dutch East Company and the British India. In 1782, as this map went to press, the British captured the port and fort of Trincomalee, establishing a firm foothold on the island that would eventually lead to British sovereignty from 1796 to 1948. This map was published in J. Dezauche's 1789 reissue of G. De L'Isle and P. Buache's Atlas Geographique et Universel.
Date: 1782 (dated)
Source: Delisle, G., and Buache, P., Atlas Geographique et Universel, (Dezauche, Paris), 1789.
References: Rumsey 4764.086. Moreland, C., and Bannister, D., Antique Maps, a Collector's Handbook, page 133.
Cartographer: The De L'Isle family (fl. c. 1700 - c. 1760) (also written Delisle) were, in composite, a mapmaking tour de force who redefined early 18th century European cartography. Claude De L'Isle (1644 -1720), the family patriarch, was a minor geographer and historian based in Paris. His four sons, Guillaume (1675- 1726), Simon Claude (1675 - 1726), Joseph Nicholas (1688 - 1768) and Louis (1720 - 1745) each made an important contribution to cartography. Without a doubt Guillaume was the most remarkable member of the family. It is said that Guillaume's skill as a cartographer was so prodigious that he drew his first map at just nine years of age. He was tutored by J. D. Cassini in astronomy, science, mathematics and cartography. By applying these diverse disciplines to the vast stores of information provided by 18th century navigators, Guillaume created the technique that came to be known as "scientific cartography". This revolutionary approach transformed the field of cartography and created a more accurate picture of the world. Among Guillaume's many firsts are the first naming of Texas, the first correct map of the Mississippi, the final rejection of the "insular California fallacy", and the first identification of the correct longitudes of America. Stylistically De L'Isle also initiated important changes to the medium, eschewing the flamboyant Dutch style of the previous century in favor of a highly detailed decorative approach that yielded map both beautiful and informative. Guillaume was elected to the French Academie Royale des Sciences at 27. Later, in 1718, he was also appointed "Premier Geographe du Roi", an office created especially for him. De L'Isle personally financed the publication of most of his maps, hoping to make heavy royalties on their sales. Unfortunately he met an untimely death in 1728, leaving considerable debt and an impoverished child and widow. De L'Isle's publishing firm was taken over by his assistant, Phillipe Buache who became, posthumously, his son in law. The other De L'Isle brothers, Joseph Nicholas and Louis De L'Isle, were employed in the Service of Peter the Great of Russia as astronomers and surveyors. They are responsible for cataloguing and compiling the data obtained from Russian expeditions in the Pacific and along the northwest coast of America, including the seminal explorations of Vitus Bering and Aleksei Chirikov. Click here for a list of maps by the De L'Isle (Delisle) family.
Cartographer: Jean-Claude Dezauche (fl. c. 1780 - 1838) was a French map publisher active in Paris during the first half of the 19th century. Dezauche's business model focused on editing and republishing the earlier maps of Phillipe Buache and Guillaume de L'Isle, which he acquired from Buache's heir, Jean Nicholas Buache, in 1780. Like Bauche and Dezauche held a position with the Depot de la Marine and his name many of their maps. Jean-Claude Dezuache eventually passed his business to his son, Jean André Dezauche. Click here for a list of maps by Jean-Claude Dezauche.
Size: Printed area measures 23 x 17 inches (58.42 x 43.18 centimeters)
Condition: Very good condition. Original centerfold. Original platemark visible. Blank on verso. Wide clean margins. Old color.
Code: Ceylon-delisle-1782 (to order by phone call: 646-320-8650)
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