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Description

Exceptional old color example of this finely engraved map of Madagascar, first published by Sanson in 1657.

Sanson notes the source of his map as Livio Sanuto and others. Livio Sanuto was a mid-16th Century Italian cosmographer and mathematician who contributed and was one of the primary map makers of his time.

Sanuto created the first Atlas of Africa ( Geografia dell 'Africa) published in 1588 in Venice, which was without question the most accurate work of its time and formed the basis for the mapping of Africa for the next century.

Condition Description
Old Color.
Nicolas Sanson Biography

Nicholas Sanson (1600-1667) is considered the father of French cartography in its golden age from the mid-seventeenth century to the mid-eighteenth. Over the course of his career he produced over 300 maps; they are known for their clean style and extensive research. Sanson was largely responsible for beginning the shift of cartographic production and excellence from Amsterdam to Paris in the later-seventeenth century.

Sanson was born in Abbeville in Picardy. He made his first map at age twenty, a wall map of ancient Gaul. Upon moving to Paris, he gained the attention of Cardinal Richelieu, who made an introduction of Sanson to King Louis XIII. This led to Sanson's tutoring of the king and the granting of the title ingenieur-geographe du roi

His success can be chalked up to his geographic and research skills, but also to his partnership with Pierre Mariette. Early in his career, Sanson worked primarily with the publisher Melchior Tavernier. Mariette purchased Tavernier’s business in 1644. Sanson worked with Mariette until 1657, when the latter died. Mariette’s son, also Pierre, helped to publish the Cartes générales de toutes les parties du monde (1658), Sanson' atlas and the first French world atlas.