Oceanie. Antique map of Australia and Pacific Island groups. Levasseur c1853

by Levasseur, Victor

Oceania, including Australia, southern Asia, and Pacific Island groups (outlined by pen) newly-named by Dumont D'Urville in 1831. Victor Levasseur, c1853 (later hand-colour to surrounding engraving). D'Urville named the four groups of Pacific Islands, distinguished by their cultures and languages, as Malaisia (Malaysia), Melanesia, and Micronesia, - as distinct from Polynesia (the previous name given to all Pacific islands, in 1756, by French writer Charles De Brosses). D’Urville’s portrait is on the right.

Carte Ancienne de Geographie Francais c1853. French map engraved on steel by William Laguillermie from the drawings by Raimond Bonheur, with historical and geographical information at the base of the map by Victor Levasseur, referring to Australia (Nouvelle Hollande - New Holland) as the fifth continent.

French explorer, naval officer and rear-admiral, Jules-Sebastien-Cesar Dumont d'Urville (1790-1842), extensively explored the south and western Pacific Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica. Having been a sickly child who spent much time in the hills in the south of France, Dumont became very interested in nature. His first voyage to the Pacific was as botanist and entomologist with Duperrey on Coquille. During his voyages in the south Pacific waters he named several new species of botany – particularly in New Zealand. Having also become fluent in Latin, Greek, English, German, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Hebrew, he was able to memorize and categorize many of the Pacific dialects, and named island groups in the Pacific for the first time. Between 1826 and 1829 D’Urville was given his own commission with Coquille renamed Astrolabe in honour of one of the ship’s of La Perouse (the remains of whose ship D’Urville located).

The outlining within the map is contemporary (from the time of publication). The beautiful hand-colour to the heavily engraved decoration is later, but certainly makes this a stunning map. The map has full borders, as issued. If you would like further pics, please email sales@antiqueprintclub.com  Size: approximately 36 x 54cm (14 x 21 inches).