Mappe-Monde Celeste Terrestre et Historique Augumentee des Voyages et Decouvertes du celebre Capitaine Cook

Beautifully decorated double-hemisphere wall map of the world on three sheets of six, by Louis-Charles Desnos and Louis Brion de la Tour, published in 1786. The map was a reissue of Jaugeon&#8217s world map of 1688 and features much of the same decorative features but with a modified title and outer border cornices. At top is a dedication to Louis XIV and around the circumference of each hemisphere are placed twenty-nine small cherubic windheads. A further outer circumferential band consists of twenty-four panels with descriptions of geographical and astronomical terms. Between each panel are miniature sketches of the principal constellations. The Jaugeon map had been reissued on several occasions since its original publication, most notably by Alexis-Hubert Jaillot and members of his family in the 1690s, 1730s and 1758. This version from 1786 was issued in six sheets with the lower three sheets consisting of a large decorative architectural plinth which supported the double hemispheres. While the celestial charts and diagrams bordering the map remain unchanged, the map itself features numerous points of difference from Jaugeon&#8217s original and is updated with the latest geographical information available at the time of publication. The discoveries and tracks of numerous explorers are shown including those of James Cook on his first, second, and third voyages. The map thus includes the East Coast of Australia, the Torres Strait, a complete outline of New Zealand, New Caledonia and the Hawaiian Islands. The southern coast of Australia is shown connected to Van Dieman&#8217s Land and California is now shown as a peninsula, while a large bulge on the west coast of South America has been corrected. Remnants of Terra Australis Incognita are still shown but feature less prominently than in earlier versions. The map features a prominent dedication to the King at top centre. The hemispheres are titled the New and Old Worlds and are surrounded by the signs of the zodiac with accompanying descriptions. Four circular diagrams appear in the corners with three showing the solar, planetary and civil time systems and a fourth explaining the astrological configurations of the planets. In the centre, between the hemispheres, is a diagram of the precession of the seasons and the zodiac. Between the hemispheres are two circular diagrams, at top is a lunar phase diagram and at bottom a dial outlining the astronomical systems of Ptolemy, Brahe and Copernicus. References: Shirley 538.