RENNEVILLE

[Southeast Asia]; Rare 1725 Map of East Indies and South East Asia

Paris: Rene Augustin Constantin De Renneville, 1725.

Map. Uncolored engraving. Image measures 12" x 16.5".

This rare and wonderful map of Southeast Asia and the East Indies dates to 1725. Issued by Rene Augustin Constantin De Renneville, the map extends from Pegu in modern day Myanmar (Burma) to New Guinnea and Timor and includes Java, Malay, Sumatra, Borneo, Indonesia, Philippines, and the Moluccas. Incredibly detailed with rhumb lines and beautifully rendered forest and mountains, the map notes numerous important cities, islands, straits, rivers, banks, and a host of additional topographic features.

A large inset of Botton Island and the Strait of Botton is included in the top right. Pulau Buton, located just southeast of Sulawesi or the Celebes Island, is separated from Pulau Muna (Camboyna) by the Strait of Buton. Willem Cornelisz Schouten, wrote about the Buton Islands and Strait in his Journal, "Here is a map of the Molucca and Botton Isles, which I, Jean Cornelisz de Moye, have drawn with all possible accuracy, during the various voyages I have made there, over all in the Straits of Botton".

Willem Cornelisz Schouten (c.1567 - 1625) was a Dutch navigator for the Dutch East India Company who sailed on the Jacob le Maire expedition in 1615 to search for the elusive Terra Australis and an alternate route to the Spice Islands. On his journey along the north coast of New Guinea, they explored several small islands, here identified as Willem Schoute Eylandt (Schouten Islands, named after him). Abel Tasman later used Schoten's charts during his explorations.

This map appears in de Renneville''s "Recueil des Voyages qui ont servi a l'Etablissement et aux Progrez de la Compagnie des Indes Orientales," a French adaptation of Isaac Commelin''s compilation of mid-17th-century voyages and travels undertaken for the Dutch East India Company. In good condition. Minor wear along original folds. Minor offsetting, light damp stain, upper left margin trimmed close for binding purposes, repaired vertical tear along left margin, i.e. binding tab.

Rene Augustin Constantin De Renneville (1650 - 1723) was French writer from Caen, France best known for his translation of Isaac Commelin's Dutch travel account " Recueil des voyages qui ont servi a l'Etablissement de la Compagnie des Indes Orientales aux Provinces Unies". He is also known for his " Histoire de la Bastille". This is a good example of his work.

Binding: Unbound
Language: English

Price: $2,100.00

Item #273380