L‘ Asie Divisee seon ses differens Etats

1748

Copper engraving on paper

Print size: 6.25 x 7.75 in (16 x 19.5 cm)
Sheet size: 9 x 11.5 in (23 x 29 cm)

L’Asie — Robert de Vaugondy’s Enlightenment Map of Asia Divided by States (1748)

This authoritative Enlightenment-era map of Asia by Gilles Robert de Vaugondy exemplifies the transition from speculative early modern geography to empirically grounded scientific cartography. Issued in Paris in 1748 under royal privilege, the sheet presents Asia explicitly “divisée selon ses différens États,” reflecting the mid-eighteenth century’s growing emphasis on political geography, territorial sovereignty, and administrative clarity.

The map integrates updated intelligence from Russian and Jesuit sources to refine the Arctic and Siberian coastline, while China and East Asia are rendered with increasing structural coherence derived from missionary surveys. Central Asia and Tartary retain vestiges of older geographic constructs, yet are now organised within a more rational Enlightenment framework. The Indian subcontinent appears prominently labelled “Empire Mogol”, underscoring the continued European recognition of Mughal imperial authority at a moment when commercial and colonial competition in South Asia was rapidly intensifying.

Executed in crisp copperplate engraving, the map balances analytical precision with restrained decorative elegance, characteristic of the Vaugondy school’s commitment to clarity, accuracy, and intellectual credibility. Its conical projection, systematic graticule, and carefully differentiated political boundaries position it among the most rigorous French continental maps of its period.

A refined example of French state-sponsored geography, the sheet holds strong appeal for collectors of Enlightenment cartography, imperial history, and the evolution of scientific world-mapping.

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