The first state of the sea chart of the waters approaching the port of Brest in Brittany from the Pierre Mortier edition of the ‘Neptune François’ first issued by the L’Imprimerie Royale in 1693. Mortier published three language editions in the same year in partnership with Alexis-Hubert Jaillot in Paris: French, Dutch, and English editions. The French issue stated that it was published in Paris when in fact they were all issued in Amsterdam. The chart includes the island of D’Ouessant southwards to include the ‘Baye d’Hodierne’. According to Koeman it was engraved by Herman [Hendrik] van Loon (fl. 1686-1700) who may well be related to the Dutch publisher of nautical works Jan van Loon. It is interesting because he also was responsible for some if not all the French edition too.

The ‘Neptune François’ utilised recent scientific survey work and is one of the landmarks in the publication of sea atlases, a highly significant work. In 1662 Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619-83), Minister of State to Louis XIV, made an initial attempt to have the coasts of France surveyed. The results were disappointing. Colbert tried again in 1670, this time having La Favolière survey the French coast south of the Loire River and Denis de La Voye northwards and through the English Channel.

A decade later at the behest of the Académie des Sciences and Jean Dominique Cassini (1625-1712), the astronomers Jean Picard and Philippe de La Hire surveyed the country making astronomical observations of latitude and longitude. It was the results of their work that lost Louis XIV more territory than he had won in wars. These two projects were combined to produce, with the encouragement of Cassini, ‘Le Neptune François’. “The minister of finance to Louis XIV took the initiative to give the French navy an important advantage over the British. In 1691, a royal privilege was granted to produce a sea chart atlas, ‘Le Neptune François’, engraved and printed on Mercator’s projection by royal-appointed engineers and surveyors” (Wardington Catalogue). One of its most innovative features was the placement of safe channels on the charts along with all the usual hazards and soundings to be expected. Another tradition began with this atlas in that it used soundings based on the lowest tide.

Pierre Mortier (1661-1711) was listed as a member of the guild of booksellers in August 1685. He most likely received his training in Paris working as a bookseller between 1681-c.1685. His sign, ‘The City of Paris’ was an expression of the excellent links he had with that city. He specialised in French language books. Mortier was one of the most successful booksellers in Amsterdam at the time and amassed considerable wealth during his lifetime. To Mortier must be given the credit for reviving a flagging Dutch cartographic heritage. Most of the maps produced at the time were out of date. He recognised that the cutting edge of the map business at the time was in Paris, and with his contacts there began to move into the atlas business.

Mortier’s first privilege for maps was granted by the States of Holland and West Friesland on 15 September 1690. It refers to the maps of Sanson that he ‘is printing and correcting with great pains and care’. Mortier and another French bookseller resident in Amsterdam, Pierre Huguetan, entered into an agreement which would eventually divide the ownership of the plates. The similarities of the plates were so strong that testimony had to be given on a shipment to Spain, and on one occasion at Landau in 1694 customs seized a parcel of Mortier’s maps being exported to Switzerland. Huguetan had to swear to a notary that ‘the Atlas by Sanson and the geographical maps, sent to Switzerland have been engraved and printed at Amsterdam, although the name of Paris is on the title page, which was only done to promote the sales’. Provenance: private Jersey collection. Chapuis (2019); Koeman (1967-70) IV Mor 1 no. 22; Pastoureau (1984) Neptune Français Ba no. 22; Pelletier (2019) ‘Jean Picard’, in ‘The History of Cartography’ vol. IV, pp. 1095-7.