{"product_id":"africa","title":"Map of Africa - Wells 1700","description":"\u003ch3 data-path-to-node=\"2\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"2\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eWells’s Map of Africa (1700)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eTitle:\u003c\/b\u003e A New Map of Africk Shewing its Present General Divisions, Chief Cities or Towns, Rivers, Mountains \u0026amp; c.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCartographer:\u003c\/b\u003e Edward Wells\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford \/ London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eDate:\u003c\/b\u003e 1700\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eTechnique:\u003c\/b\u003e Copperplate engraving with original hand-colouring\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-path-to-node=\"8\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eThe Narrative: Geography for a Future King\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"9\"\u003eThis map tells a story of royal education and the \"Age of Enlightenment.\" Edward Wells, a mathematician and geographer at Oxford, designed this atlas specifically for his student, Prince William, Duke of Gloucester (the son of Queen Anne), to aid in his instruction on world affairs. Consequently, the map prioritizes clarity and elegance, presenting the vast and largely unmapped African continent in a way that was accessible to the English aristocracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"10\"\u003eIt depicts a continent of mystery and colonial interest. While the coastlines are plotted with reasonable accuracy from centuries of maritime trade, the interior is filled with the speculative geography of the time—including the legendary \"Mountains of the Moon\" as the source of the Nile and the expansive but vaguely defined kingdoms of \"Negroland,\" \"Monomotapa,\" and \"Abissina.\" It is a vibrant snapshot of how the world’s second-largest continent was perceived by European scholars at the dawn of the 1700s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-path-to-node=\"11\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"11\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eChronicles of the Map\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cul data-path-to-node=\"12\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"12,0,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"12,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eThe Royal Dedication\u003c\/b\u003e: The lower-left corner features a magnificent, oversized cartouche displaying the royal coat of arms and a formal dedication to Prince William. Tragically, the Prince died the same year this map was published, at the age of eleven.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"12,1,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"12,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eSpeculative Interior\u003c\/b\u003e: The map illustrates the 18th-century lack of knowledge regarding the African interior, showing the Niger River flowing directly into the Atlantic and large, mythical mountain ranges bisecting the southern regions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"12,2,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"12,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eMaritime Naming\u003c\/b\u003e: The surrounding waters are labeled with historic names such as \"The Ethiopian or Southern Ocean,\" reflecting the archaic maritime terminology used by British sailors of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"12,3,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"12,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eDecorative Hand-Colouring\u003c\/b\u003e: The vibrant pink and yellow washes used to distinguish the \"General Divisions\" make this map an exceptionally decorative piece for display.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Treasures of the Orient","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43921671356481,"sku":null,"price":1800.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0572\/7125\/5105\/files\/8A31309F-EA74-4985-AE53-DAE7AEEACA83.jpg?v=1778237519","url":"https:\/\/treasuresoftheorient.com\/products\/africa","provider":"Treasures of the Orient","version":"1.0","type":"link"}