“CARTE DU NOUV. RME. DE GRENADE, DE LA NOULE. ANDALOUSIE ET DE LA GUYANE……” Paris: Rigobert Bonne, c. 1780. Fine engraved map with hand-coloring. (Ref: Phillips #652). (Image: 8 ¼ x 12 ½’’)
This map depicts Northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guyana, Ecuador and part of Peru and Brazil) in considerable detail. Topographical features are shown throughout. Several Indian villages are located and major cities, towns, missions, mountains and waterways are located.
The northwestern portion of the continent, called here the Kingdom of Grenade, was well explored and the information is quite good. The northern coastline as is also shown with accurate detail,
Of particular interest is the depiction of a square “Lac Parime” in the northeast. This is a remnant of the famous myth of El Dorado. At the end of the sixteenth century, El Dorado was thought to be a golden city on a large lake, called Parime. As time went by, it became accepted that El Dorado was no more than a myth. The lake continued to appear on maps through the 18th century,
Rigobert Bonne (c. 1729 - 1795) was a well-respected cartographer who served as Royal Hydrographer. His principal interest lay in the production of marine charts, which were noted for their detail and accuracy.
Shipped unmatted
