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Description

Fine example of the third state of Pierre Du Val's rare map of California as an island, the second earliest map to focus on just California.

Du Val's map is the second earliest regional map to focus just on California, after Sanson's map of 1657.

The map identifies numerous place names on the west coast, including Drake's Bay, Monterey, Pt. Concepcion, San Clemente Island and Cabo San Luca, plus the Island of Santa Cruz in the Mar Vermille. Quivera, Anian and N. Albion, are named, along with Cibola. Lac de Conibas is shown.

East of the Mountain range in New Meixo, the Apaches, Vaqueros Mont Suala and Poala are shown, along with a number of other settlements.

Of all of the smaller regional maps to focus on California, the Du Val is probably the rarest.

The present example is state 2, with the states identified as follows:

  • 1660. Nle. Espagne in lower right corner.
  • 1662. Nouvelle Espagne in lower right corner.
  • 1672. Nouvelle Espagne ou Mexique in lower right corner.
  • 1687. Plate # 11 added to lower right corner.
Condition Description
Laid on a larger sheet of paper.
Reference
McLaughlin 30, Burden 353
Pierre Du Val Biography

Pierre Duval (1618-1683) was a French geographer, cartographer, and publisher who worked in Abbeville and Paris during the seventeenth century. He was born in the former city, in northeast France, before moving to Paris. Duval was the nephew of the famous cartographer Nicolas Sanson, from whom he learned the mapmaker's art and skills. Both men worked at the royal court, having followed the royal request for artists to relocate to Paris. In addition to numerous maps and atlases, Du Val's opus also includes geography texts. He held the title of geographe ordinaire du roi from 1650 and died in 1683, when his wife and daughters took over his business.