French Map, Framed

Islands scatter across a sheet like crumbs, each one carefully labeled.

This framed map is from France, dated 1755, ink on paper. Eighteenth century French mapmakers produced engraved charts of distant seas, often with small inset maps and scale bars set into the corners. This sheet shows a chain of islands in Southeast Asia, with a coastline at the upper left and a cartouche at upper right. A small inset sits at lower left, and dotted lines cross the open water. A wide cream mat sits within a dark, carved frame with a leaf pattern. It is 21 inches wide, 2 deep and 16 high.

The cartographer was clearly paid by the island.