Chart of the Antarctic Polar Circle with the countries adjoining BUACHE 1763 map

CAPTION PRINTED BELOW PICTURE: 'Chart of the Antarctic Polar Circle, with the countries adjoining, according to the New Hypothesis of M. Buache. From the Memoirs of the Royal Academy at Paris'

A fascinating speculative map of the Antarctic Regions, published in 1763 in the Gentleman's Magazine, based on Philippe Buache's hypothesised geography of the Antarctic continent. The map centers on the South Pole, extending north of the Tropic of Capricorn, including Cape Horn, the Cape of Good Hope, and southern Australia (incorrectly attached to New Guinea and Indonesia). Notably, New Zealand appears as the northern tip of a vast southern continent. Buache labels parts of the continent as "Land Yet Undiscovered" and "Frozen Sea as Supposed," reflecting contemporary guesses about the unknown region. The map references previous attempts to map the region by earlier explorers and cartographers including such as De L’Isle, Drake, Halley, and Ortelius. Buache's speculative theory proposed Antarctica as two landmasses separated by a frozen inland sea, inspired by Bouvet de Lozier's 1738-39 expedition, which reported massive icebergs. Buache theorized that these icebergs must have originated from a large frozen sea fed by mountain ranges and rivers. He believed this inland sea detached icebergs that floated away from the pole, similar to Arctic patterns. Buache's theories, originally published by the Royal Academy in Paris, were republished with this map in the Gentleman's Magazine. He was an innovative geographer who correctly identified the existence of Alaska and the Bering Strait but was mistaken about Antarctica's sub-glacial topography and the existence of a central Antarctic sea. A significant map in the history of early Antarctic mapping.

DATE PRINTED: 1763    

IMAGE SIZE: Approx 20.0 x 23.0cm, 7.75 x 9 inches (Medium); Please note that this is a folding map.

TYPE: Antique copperplate map. The complete original explanatory text pages will be provided with the map.

CONDITION: Fair: The bottom left corner and margin have been restored with loss of part of the printed border. Please note any other blemishes on the scan prior to purchasing this picture. Please contact us if you would like to arrange to view this map. Virtually all antiquarian maps and prints are subject to some normal aging due to use and time which is not obtrusive unless otherwise stated. We offer a no questions asked return policy.

AUTHENTICITY: This is an authentic historic print, published at the date stated above. It is not a modern copy.

VERSO: There is nothing printed on the reverse side, which is plain

FOLDING: This is a folding print.

ARTIST/CARTOGRAPHER/ENGRAVER: After Philippe Buache

PROVENANCE: "Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle", by Sylvanus Urban, Gent. London: Printed by Edw. Cave, Jun. at St. John's Gate