Mortier’s sea chart of Madagascar in full original colour

A large chart of Madagascar, orientated with north to the left, published in Mortier's monumental three-part sea-atlas, 'Le Neptune François'. The first part was a counterfeit of a French original (with 'à Paris' in the publication line); the second part, the 'Atlas Maritime' contained charts engraved by Romain de Hooghe, including the famous chart of the Mediterranean; the third, the 'Suite de Neptune François', contained charts from Portuguese sources. This chart comes from a full-colour example rather than the usual outline. Of particular interest is the delineations of Antongil Bay and Nosy Boraha (Île Sainte-Marie) in the north east: at the time both were havens for European pirates preying on the East India trade and Mughal treasure ships. The actions of William Kidd, Henry Every, John Bowen & Thomas Tew in the region helped make the period of this chart the golden age of piracy.