DESCRIPTION: From the perspective of this writer this antique nautical chart of Cadiz and the Strait of Gibraltar is the most important chart of the 16 large Mediterranean sea charts by Henry Michelot and Laurens Bremond . The chart bears the earliest date of any of the 16 that were published - 1718. Also, the large decorative title cartouche at the upper left is reflective of Michelot's rank and symbols of high status. Michelot describes himself as “Hydrographe et Pilote Real des Galères du Roy” (hydrographer and pilot of the royal galley for the kings galley corps).
The vessel depicted in the cartouche is clearly the "Reale" or Royal Galley (galère, Fr.) with three large stern lanterns. These distinctive lights served at night as a reference point for the fleet to follow. Above the galley, at the center top of the cartouche are the coat of arms of the French King surrounded on both sides by numerous banners and weapons including cannon and pikes. Perhaps the most unusual and significant decorative element is the two captive Muslim prisoners. Along with the opulent galley and other power icons the image of these near naked, chained ‘infidel’ captives would have been intended to demonstrate the map maker’s high status and authority to the map’s audience and as Petto points out, to reflect glory onto the map-makers patron to whom the charts were dedicated.
With an inset legend and a single large very decorative central compass rose and rhumb lines. Includes San Lucar de Barameda, Rota, Cape Trafalgar, Ceuta, Tangiers, Tarife (Tarifa) Gibraltar, Puerto Santa Maria and the hills of Medina Sidonia. Perhaps more than any other chart from the pair of Marseilles-based cartographers the numerous guard towers, soundings, and marked anchorages would have been important to the intended constituency for this chart- galley pilots and other coastal navigators of that period.
Henry Michelot and Laurens Bremond
Henri Michelot was an early eighteenth century French cartographer with a close connection to the sea. He described himself as Hydrographer and Pilot of the Galere Royale (Royal Galley), and was associated with a corps of approximately forty galleys (galeres), oared sailing vessels operating in the Mediterranean and along the Atlantic coast. In the Mediterranean, these galleys were based primarily at the naval arsenal in Marseilles, France. They were typically rigged with triangular Mediterranean lateen sails, a configuration well suited to coastal navigation and variable winds.
Bookseller and royal hydrographer Laurent Bremond, styled “Hydrographe du Roi et de la Ville,” sold charts and maritime books from his establishment in Marseille, located near the port at the corner of Reboul Street (“au Coin de Reboul”). Bremond played a key role in the commercial distribution of nautical knowledge, supplying working mariners as well as official and institutional clients.
The collaborative output of Michelot and Bremond, produced roughly between 1715 and 1730, included an atlas of sixteen small-scale charts, a port book containing thirty-seven large-scale charts, and a Mediterranean coast pilot titled Portulan de la Mer Mediterranee, ou Guide des Pilotes Cotiers. Issued in multiple languages and published in editions extending at least to 1805, this body of work became a primary source of navigational information for the Mediterranean for many decades. The charts of Michelot and Bremond were highly influential and were frequently copied by later chartmakers, including Kitchin and Roux.
PUBLICATION DATE: 1718
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: Spain
BODY OF WATER: Mediterranean, Bay of Cadiz
CONDITION: Good.
Strong paper, no holes or tears. Clean and bright.
COLORING: None
ENGRAVER: Probably P. Starck-man
SIZE: 27
" x
19 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 57
PRICE: $900
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