Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville From an early age Jean Baptiste Bourguignon d'Anville (1697-1782) was immersed in the study of geography and cartography. He engraved his first map at age fifteen and produced many important maps throughout his career. He became one of the most respected cartographers of his time, continuing the French school of cartography developed by Sanson and De l'Isle. He was also a classical scholar, with many of his maps relating to ancient geography. Although he apparently never left the city of Paris, he had access to the reports and maps of French explorers, traders, and missionaries. It was through his close association with the Jesuits that he produced his first important map. This map of China, based on Jesuits surveys, was first issued in 1735 and later published as the Nouvel Atlas de la Chine (New Atlas of China) in 1737. Subsequently, he produced important charts of Italy (1743), Africa (1749), Asia (1751), India (1752), and the World in Hemisphere (1761) all of which significantly improved the geographical knowledge of the regions. His maps of Africa removed many of the fictitious features of the interior, and his representation remained the prototype until the great explorations of the 19th century. His maps were highly respected for his judicious use of past authorities and contemporary sources, as well as a detailed knowledge of measures of distance. The French navigator Bougainville used D'Anville's charts when exploring the East Indies and remarked on their accuracy. Thomas Jefferson wrote to Albert Gallatin (Secretary of the Treasury) relating to a newly commissioned map of North America and suggested the use of D'Anville as a reference for the lower Mississippi basin. Records also show that Meriwhether Lewis was still trying to obtain a copy of "Carte de la Louisiane" in Philadelphia shortly before starting on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 1773 he was elected to the Academie des Sciences and in the same year was appointed Geographer to the King. During his long career he produced 211 maps and plans, and wrote 78 articles and books dealing with the methodology of surveys, cartography, historical geography and the system of measurements. He also built a fine collection of rare and contemporary maps, now housed in the Biblioteque Nationale in Paris. Go to all maps by D'Anville in the current auction.