Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (signed on the map as N. Bellin, Ing. de la Marine; 1703–1772), Map of Little Bukarey (the German equivalent of the French original *Carte de la Petite Bukharie et Pays Voisins*) [1749]

Title: Map of Little Bukhara (the German equivalent of the French original, *Carte de la Petite Bukharie et Pays Voisins*).

Author: Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (signed on the map as N. Bellin, Ing. de la Marine; 1703–1772)

Compiled by: Johann Joachim Schwabe

Publisher: Arkstee & Merkus (based on a corresponding map from the same series and year), Leipzig

Year of publication: 1749. Series: *Allgemeine Historie der Reisen zu Wasser und Lande* (German edition of Abbé Prévost’s *Histoire Générale des Voyages*).

Format: 35 cm.

In the mid-18th century, Europe’s knowledge of Central Asia came almost exclusively from travel accounts, which were subsequently compiled into large geographical collections. The copperplate map presented here, “Karte von der Kleinen Bukarey,” depicts so-called Little Bukhara along with its neighboring countries—an area corresponding to present-day Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. In its French version, it was titled “Carte de la Petite Bukharie et Pays Voisins” and was created as an illustration for Abbot Antoine Prévost’s “Histoire Générale des Voyages.” The German edition of this work, “Allgemeine Historie der Reisen zu Wasser und Lande,” was published in Leipzig between 1747 and 1774 in twenty-one volumes, edited by Johann Joachim Schwabe; it was based on both the French original and Astley’s English collection—hence the phrase in the map’s title: “Aus den Englischen Schriftstellern.” Corresponding Bellini map sheets from the 1749 edition were printed in Leipzig by the Arkstee & Merkus publishing house. It is worth noting that for the same series, the cartographer also produced a separate map of Greater Bukhara (“Karte von Karazm Turkestan und Grossen Bukarey”), with an almost identical title phrase and reference number—the two are often confused with one another.

Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703–1772), a French hydrographer and geographer born in Paris, was associated for most of his life with the Dépôt des cartes de la Marine, or the French Hydrographic Office. He was a member of the Naval Academy and the Royal Society in London, and also moved in the intellectual circles of Enlightenment philosophers. He is sometimes regarded as the most important map publisher in 18th-century France and one of the leading cartographers of his century. On this particular sheet, he signed with the formula “von N. Bellin Ing. de la Marine,” which he used to sign numerous works produced for the naval office. His contribution to Schwabe’s German series was not limited to drawing maps—the second volume, published in 1748, included separate letters from Bellin to Abbot Prévost, documenting his direct influence on the cartographic content of the entire project.

An 18th-century map of Central Asia by one of the era’s most important cartographers—a piece of interest to collectors of historical cartography, researchers of the history of travel, and enthusiasts of Enlightenment-era prints.

A monochrome copperplate engraving, uncolored, in keeping with the consistent practice applied to Bellin’s other maps in this series. Sheet dimensions: 355x240 mm; print dimensions: 310x200 mm. When held up to the light, signs of wear and the paper’s watermark are visible.

Catalog ID: M115-35-A-X