Chatelain, Two Views of the Cape of Good Hope, Print

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Antique print titled 'Vue et du Cap de Bonne Esperance'. Striking view of the Cape of Good Hope, with Dutch … Read more Antique print titled 'Vue et du Cap de Bonne Esperance'. Striking view of the Cape of Good Hope, with Dutch ships in the harbor and Table Mountain in the background. A night view of the Dutch Fort at the Cape is shown below. Originates from 'Atlas Historique' by Chatelain. Chatelain's Atlas Historique, published in 7 volumes at the beginning of the 18th Century, was one of the most widely distributed and lavishly illustrated general works of its kind published in the 18th Century. While historical in nature, it includes many topical and up to date maps and a detailed treatment of history, right up to modern times. Henri Abraham Chatelain (1684-1743) was a Huguenot pastor of Parisian origins. Chatelain proved a successful businessman, creating lucrative networks in London, The Hague, and then Amsterdam. He is most well known for the Atlas Historique, published in seven volumes between 1705 and 1720. This encyclopedic work was devoted to the history and genealogy of the continents, discussing such topics as geography, cosmography, topography, heraldry, and ethnography. Published thanks to a partnership between Henri, his father, Zacharie, and his younger brother, also Zacharie, the text was contributed to by Nicolas Gueudeville, a French geographer. The maps were by Henri, largely after the work of Guillaume Delisle, and they offered the general reader a window into the emerging world of the 18th century. See less