North and South America Tassin, 1651, Nouvelle Description de l´Amerique

Extremely rare mid 17th century copper engraved French map of North and South America (and Antarctica) by the French cartographer Tassin. Published in Paris by Berey in 1651 in ´Carte generalle de la géographie royale...´.

It portrays North America in a very peculiar way. Tassin clearly took his inspiration from the Jansson/Goos map from 1628 that in it´s turn was based on the late 16th century map by Mercator (that wasn´t showing the imaginary Northwest Passage).

There are many misconceptions about the new world depicted on this fascination map. Among them is the bulging shape of the Northwest coast of North America and the large land mass that extends to Asia, broken only by two small straits. The eastern most strait presumably represents the theorized (and hoped for) Northwest Passage, which was the goal of many explorations maritime for centuries, including the Vikings, Christopher Columbus, Captain James Cook and many more. A navigatable passage through the Americas would facilitate an efficient trade route between Europe and Asia. The map includes portions of Japan, as well as multiple islands in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, many of which do not exist. The St. Lawrence River is greatly elongated, extending to the southwest, ending in the region of present-day Colorado. The map also includes the imaginary large land mass in the southern hemisphere, Terra Australis Incognita, the existence of which was not disproved until Captain James Cook's first voyage approximately 150 years later.

Good condition. Some minimal browning due to age in the margins and some repairs on the back in the outer margins, not affecting the image, sharp print. Original colours. Very rare.

Image 5,7x7.4 inch (14,5x19cm), Sheet 6.6x8.6 inch (17x22cm)