Carte Nouvelle des Royaumes de Naples et de Sicile

Carte nouvelle des Royaumes de Naples, et de Sicile. Levee par ordre expres, a l'usage des armees en Italie ou sont exactement marquees les grands chemins &c. Par le Sr. Sanson, Geog. du Roy. A Amsterdam, Chez P. Mortier, Avec Privileges.

First state of Pierre Mortier's map of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies published in Nouveau Théâtre d'Italie... printed in Amsterdam in 1704-1705, and later in 1724 by publisher R. C. Alberts.

Cartographically it is based on the work of Nicolas Sanson d'Abeville, and in particular on the large map of Italy by Alexis Hubert Jaillot.

Later the map was reprinted with imprint Johannes Covens and Cornelis Mortier in the Atlas nouveau, contenant toutes les parties su Monde, ou sont exactement remarquees les empires, monarchies, royaumes, etats, republiques, &c. Par Guillaume de l'Isle. Premier Geographe de sa Majeste. In Amsterdam, Chez Jean Covens & Corneille Mortier, sur le Vygendamm, circa 1740.

Pierre Mortier (January 26, 1661 - February 18, 1711) or Pieter Mortier was a cartographer, engraver, and print seller active in Amsterdam during the later 17th and early 18th centuries. Mortier, then known as Pieter, was born in Leiden. He relocated to Paris from 1681 to 1685, adopting the French name Pierre, which he retained throughout his career. While in France, he developed deep French connections by bringing sophisticated Dutch printing technology and experience to nascent French map publishers such as Guillaume De L'Isle (1675 - 1726), Alexis-Hubert Jaillot (c. 1632 - 1712), and Nicholas de Fer (1646 - 1720). Consequently, much of Mortier's business was built upon issuing embellished high quality editions of contemporary French maps - generally with the permissions of their original authors. In the greater context of global cartography, this was a significant advantage as most Dutch map publishes had, at this point, fallen into the miasma of reprinting their own outdated works. By contrast, the cartographers of France were producing the most accurate and up to date charts anywhere. Mortier's cartographic work culminated in the magnificent nautical atlas, Le Neptune Francois. He was awarded the Privilege, an early form of copyright, in 1690. Upon Pierre's death in 1711 this business was inherited by his widow. In 1721, his son Cornelius Mortier took over the day to day operation of the firm. Cornelius partnered with his brother-in-law Jean Covens to form one of history's great cartographic partnerships - Covens and Mortier - which continued to publish maps and atlases until about 1866.

Etching with fine later hand colour, good condition.