1784210497Code 8551 AtlasJoseph Roux (1725–1793) Recueil des principaux Plans des Ports et Rades
de la Mer Méditerranée, extraits de ma carte en douze feuilles. Dédié à
Monseigneur le Duc de Choiseul, Ministre de la Guerre et de la Marine.
Genoa, Yves Gravier, 1779.
First Italian edition of one of the most important nautical atlases of the 18th century
dedicated to navigation in the Mediterranean.
Sold and printed in Genoa by the bookseller and publisher Yves Gravier, whose bookstore
was located under the Loggia dei Bianchi.
Good condition, complete set of 121 plates.
Measurements 23.9 x 16.6 x 4 cm – 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.6 in.
A portolan atlas dedicated to Étienne-François, Duc de Choiseul (1719–1785)—
a powerful statesman and Prime Minister during the reign of Louis XV, who served
as Minister of War and the Navy between 1761 and 1770.
An oblong folio volume, complete with its engraved title page, indices,
and the full series of 121 copperplate engravings depicting Mediterranean
ports, roadsteads, gulfs, and landing places, all printed on 18th-century laid paper.
The engraved title page is signed by Laurent, a French engraver and draftsman
active in Marseille during the mid-18th century, who was responsible for both
the drawing and the copperplate engraving.
This copy is preserved in its original full-leather binding from the period;
while substantially intact and showing expected signs of age and use,
it remains well-preserved overall and consistent with the volume.
The engravings are of excellent quality, featuring crisp, high-contrast lines,
regular margins, and fresh paper. Joseph Roux’s work represents one of
the finest achievements in 18th-century French nautical cartography;
it was conceived as a practical tool for merchant and military navigation,
illustrating with remarkable technical precision the coastlines of Mediterranean
France, Italy, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, the Adriatic, Greece,
the Aegean Archipelago, the Levant, and North Africa.
Joseph Roux was an 18th-century French hydrographer and cartographer,
born in Marseille in 1725 and died in 1793.
Joseph Roux established his business right at the port of Marseille. His workshop was not merely a cartographic studio but a hub for sailors, where they could find compasses, navigational instruments, and up-to-date nautical charts.
He is best remembered for producing highly accurate nautical charts and portolans—essential tools for navigating the Mediterranean Sea.
Coming from a seafaring family, he dedicated much of his life to studying coastlines, ports, and maritime routes, gathering information through direct observations shared by sailors and ship captains.
Thanks to the quality of his work, in 1764 he was awarded the prestigious title of "Hydrographe du Roi" (Hydrographer to King Louis XV), becoming an official supplier to the French Navy and—curiously—to the British Royal Navy as well, which recognized the exceptional precision of his charts.
His charts were distinguished by their clean graphic style, featuring fine radial lines branching out from compass roses, precise indications of depths, moorings, and anchorage points, and coastal profiles delicately shaded to convey the three-dimensional nature of the terrain as viewed from the sea.
