'Guinea propria'. West Africa. Nigeria Ghana Senegal &c. D’ANVILLE, 1743 map
Artist/engraver/cartographer: Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville. Provenance: The map was extracted from a composite atlas of early 18th century maps, the latest of which was dated c1754. Type: Large antique 18th century atlas map, printed on thick, good quality paper with original outline hand colour/color and decorative vignette view "showing how Africans live" in Cape Mesurado (close to present day Monrovia, Liberia). This eighteenth century map shows the West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. It includes the present day countries of Mauritania, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo and part of Chad. As was common in maps of the time, the courses of the Senegal, Gambia & Niger rivers were incorrectly charted. The upper part of the Niger is shown as being an eastward extension of the Senegal river, with the source of the Senegal River being shown as "Maberia Lacus" - possibly Lake Debo, through which in fact the Niger flows. The river Niger is shown as rising south west of Timbuktu and flowing eastwards into Lake Chad, rather than turning southward to empty into the Gulf of Guinea, as is the actually the case. An incomplete lake is shown as the source of the Gambia River. The large decorative vignette at the bottom, which is described below the map, shows a village scene in Cape Mesurado (close to present day Monrovia, Liberia), including a raised abode house made from red earth, the kitchen hut, an adobe store room for rice and other crops, an open-side hut for holding business negotiations or discussing public business. The two figures standing in the foreground are wearing the costume of the king and queen, with straw hat.
Size: 7099px × 6185px
Location: West Africa
Photo credit: © Antiqua Print Gallery / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1743, 18th, aethiopia, africa, appellées, dicta, eighteenth, ethiopia, ethiopie, geographers, geographes, geographis, ghana, grande, guinea, guiné, hodiernis, inferieure, inferior, lands, largest, map, maps, maxima, modern, modernes, nec, negres, negro, nigeria, nigritae, nigrorum, pais, pars, part, partie, propria, senegal, terrae, utraque, vol, west, ê, ’anville
