1778 Zatta Map of Canada and Greenland: Hudson Bay and Baffin Bay

This map is a hand colored 1778 A. Zatta map of the Hudson Bay. Centered on the Hudson Bay, it covers from Baffin Bay (North Atlantic Ocean) to James Bay. Includes the Hudson Bay, southern Greenland, Labrador and Newfoundland. The map offers excellent detail throughout especially regarding the topography of Greenland and the waterways extending westward form the Hudson Bay. During the late 18th century most had given up all hope of finding a water route through the Arctic to the Pacific, however, hope remained that a river passage was possible. The network of lakes and rivers extending westward from the Hudson Bay and the Great Lakes was the best hope for such a route. Here Zatta connects Lake Winnepeg (Ouinipigon) via a series of rivers and lakes to the Hudson Bay. He also leave a number of entradas, including the entrada di Chesterfield and Michinipi, open at the west. This map was issued as part of A. Zatta's 1776 publication of Storia Dell' America Settentrionale Del Signor Abate Raynal Continuata fino al present, con Carte Geografiche rappresentanti il Teatro della Guerra Civile tra la Gran Bretagna, e le Colonie Unite.

Cartographer

Antonio Zatta (1722 - February 16, 1804) was a Venetian printer and publisher whose illustrated books and atlases made him a leading figure in late 18th-century Italian publishing. Born in Venice into a printing family active since 1656, he attempted to relocate to Rovereto in 1752, but Venetian authorities blocked the move. The merchant Amedeo Svajer financed his early ventures. His connections with the Jesuits, including publications defending the order under false imprints (1760 - 1761), attracted controversy, although these ties weakened during the 1760s. Geography became a major undertaking: he published Anton Friedrich Büsching's Nuova geografia in 34 volumes (1773 - 1782), followed by the four-volume Atlante novissimo, illustrato ed accresciuto (1779 - 1785), comprising approximately 240 maps. Portions appeared separately, notably Le colonie unite dell'America settentr.le, an Italian adaptation of John Mitchell's 1755 map. His geographical publications also included Cook's voyages (1794 - 1795) and the map-illustrated political periodical Prospetto degli affari attuali dell'Europa (1788 - 1801). Beyond cartography, he published literature, medicine, and Buffon's natural history (1782 - 1791), cultivating collaborations with leading Venetian illustrators and engravers. His sons Giacomo and Giovanni joined the business in 1783; the printing house closed shortly after his death.   Further Details...

Source

Zatta A., Atlante Novissimo, 1784. Also in, Zatta A., Storia Dell' America Settentrionale Del Signor Abate Raynal Continuata fino al present, con Carte Geografiche rappresentanti il Teatro della Guerra Civile tra la Gran Bretagna, e le Colonie Unite, 1778.    

Condition

Very good. Blank on verso. Original centerfold. Restoration done on both left and right margins.

References

Rumsey 5007.015. Kershaw, K., Early Printed Maps of Canada, #479.