[Wall map]. [Africa]. DESNOS (Louis Charles). L'Afrique ou t - Lot 255

[Wall map]. [Africa]. DESNOS (Louis Charles). L'Afrique ou tous les points principaux sont placez sur les observations de Messieurs de l'Académie royale des Sciences. A Paris, chez Desnos, 1786. 1 copper-engraved map, (93 x 120 cm.), colored at the time (restored, small chips and cracks). Rare and spectacular wall map of the African continent. It includes the Arabian Peninsula to the east, as well as the west coast of India and Sri Lanka. While knowledge of the coastal regions and the course of a few rivers was adequate at the time, the interior of the continent had yet to be explored by Europeans, and its representation was based on more or less imaginary accounts and imprecise testimonies. The map is surrounded by a wide engraved border depicting and describing the known peoples occupying the continent. The Atlantic and Indian oceans are decorated with depictions of ships and compass roses. At bottom right is a cartouche containing the dedication to the Dauphin and the address. In a small box below is a plan of the fort built by the Dutch near the Cape of Good Hope.