An attractive large-scale map of South America first published by Robert Sayer highlighting at a glance the areas of European knowledge and those where it is lacking. From ‘Tierra Firma’ in the north down the west coast towards Chile is relatively well mapped. Coastal areas of ‘Guayana’ are shown but on the Atlantic coast most of the knowledge lies between the old capital of San Salvador in the north and the Rio Plata. A large inset upper right focuses on the Falkland Islands. A large panel appears lower right describing the various regions. As stated in the title the map is derived from the advanced cartographic work of Jean Baptiste Bourguignon D’Anville (1697-1782) in Paris. He was a thorough editor of his maps, as Tooley stated: ‘He dominated not only French, but all contemporary geographers [and] his aim was reform, the rejection of plagiarism, critical examination of authorities, a basis of astronomical observation and the deletion of unverified material’. His maps were recognised as one of the more reliable sources for cartographic information.

Robert Sayer (1725?-94) was born in Sunderland to a lawyer, James Sayer, and his wife Thomasine. In 1747 his elder brother James married Mary Overton, the widow of prominent mapmaker Philip Overton and the proprietor of his shop following his death. Mary continued the business for roughly a year after her marriage and then, in 1748, it passed to Robert. He became a freeman of the Stationers’ Company later that year; his first advertisement as an independent publisher was released in December. In 1754 he married Dorothy Carlos, ‘an agreeable young lady with a handsome fortune’!

At some point he took over the stock of the mapmaker Thomas Jefferys. It could have been following his bankruptcy in 1766, or at his death in 1771. In 1773 he published ‘A General Atlas’ containing a series of large-scale maps including this one. In 1774 he joined in partnership with his apprentice John Bennett (fl.1774-83), who had been made free in that year. The understanding was that in four years Bennett would become a partner with a third share in the business. The agreement allowed Bennett to continue more with the print side of the business and the management on a day-to-day basis. It allowed Sayer to take on less work and focus on maps which was his area of expertise.

Sayer died in 1794, and his stock was taken over by the firm of Robert Laurie & James Whittle. This issue is dated that year and bears their imprint. It was included in the ‘New Universal Atlas’. Provenance: Jonathan Potter 2002; private collection of Juan and Peggy Rada. Shirley (2004) T.Say-2a nos. 36 & 37 (first ed.), T.Lau-1c nos. 65 & 66.