DESCRIPTION: Antique copperplate chart of Cape Milazzo, Sicily from French galley pilot and hydrographer Henri Michelot. This is one of four old charts of Sicilian ports in Michelot's and Bremond's important 37-plate atlas of 1730:
“Recueil de Plusiers Plans des Ports et Rades de la Mer Mediterranee".
The town of Milazzo (Melasse) , Sicily is clearly shown surrounded by Vauban-style defensive walls and the nearby sea area is marked with sparse soundings and a few anchorages. The charts contains a feature that is unusual for these smaller plans-- labeled, keyed references to five locations in Milazzo: Le Chateau; l'Ancienne Ville; La Nouvelle; Chemin Couvert; and St. Francois. These detailed labels suggest a high level of familiarity with the area.
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: 1730
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: Italy
BODY OF WATER: Mediterranean
CONDITION: Very good.
Paper only very slightly tanned but strong with good platemark. Slightly browned at edges particularly at right. Strong impression and good platemark.
COLORING: Modern detailed color on the compass rose.
ENGRAVER:
SIZE: 9
" x
6 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 4
PRICE: $300
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