1780 Bonne Map of Southern India, Ceylon, and the Maldives

Attractive 1780 map of southern India by the French cartographer Rigobert Bonne. Covers from the Deccan plateau south as far as the Maldives and as far east as the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Includes Ceylon or Sri Lanka. Shows the direction of the important Indian Ocean trade winds and their corresponding seasons. The regularity of the trade winds in the Indian Ocean generated active nautical trade routes well into antiquity. Published as plate no. L 3 in Bonne's 1780 Atlas de Toutes les Parties Connues du Globe Terrestre.

Cartographer

Rigobert Bonne (October 6, 1727 - September 2, 1794) was one of the most important French cartographers of the late 18th century. Bonne was born in Ardennes à Raucourt, France. He taught himself mathematics and by eighteen was a working engineer. During the War of the Austrian Succession (1740 - 1748), he served as a military engineer at Berg-op-Zoom. In the subsequent years, Bonne became one of the most respected masters of mathematics, physics, and geography in Paris. In 1773, Bonne succeeded Jacques-Nicolas Bellin as Royal Cartographer to France in the office of the Hydrographer at the Depôt de la Marine. Working in his official capacity, Bonne compiled some of the most detailed and accurate maps of the period, most on an equal-area projection known erroneously as the 'Bonne Projection.' Bonne's work represents an important step in the evolution of the cartographic ideology away from the decorative work of the 17th and early 18th century towards a more scientific and practical aesthetic. While mostly focusing on coastal regions, the work of Bonne is highly regarded for its detail, historical importance, and overall aesthetic appeal. Bonne died of edema in 1794, but his son Charles-Marie Rigobert Bonne continued to publish his work well after his death.   Further Details...

Source

Bonne, R., Atlas de Toutes les Parties Connues du Globe Terrestre, 1780.    

Condition

Very good. Contemporary color. Seems to have a double impression in upper quadrants - see zoom. Original centerfold. Blank on verso. Wide clean margins. Pressmark visible.