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This beautifully detailed plan of Antibes and environs was created by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin, one of the most prominent French cartographers of the 18th century, and published in his Petit Atlas Maritime (1764). It depicts the town of Antibes and its surrounding coastline on the French Riviera.
The map focuses on the coastline around Antibes, located at the entrance to the Gulf of Juan. The Fort Carré, a prominent star-shaped fortress overlooking the harbor, is clearly illustrated and labeled, indicating its defensive importance. The surrounding areas are rendered with great care, highlighting natural features such as:
- Cap de la Garoupe, extending into the Mediterranean, marked by elevations and scattered vegetation.
- Plage d’Argent (Silver Beach) and Plage de la Salis, coastal landmarks that helped orient ships approaching the harbor.
- Offshore soundings in toises (an old French unit of length), providing vital information for navigating the shallow waters around Antibes.
Small anchor symbols denote safe anchorage points for ships, and a detailed compass rose in the lower-right portion of the map ensures precise orientation. The map also marks several points of elevation and military outposts to show both natural and man-made defenses.
Antibes was a critical defensive point for France along the Mediterranean coast. Its strategic location made it the first fortified city encountered when traveling from the Italian border. Fort Carré, built under the reign of King Henry II and later modified by Vauban, protected both the town and the harbor from potential invasions by sea. By 1764, when Bellin created this map, Antibes had become an important military and commercial center in the region.
The map’s ornate cartouche in the lower-right corner is typical of Bellin’s style, with scrolling details framing the title.
Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was among the most important mapmakers of the eighteenth century. In 1721, at only the age of 18, he was appointed Hydrographer to the French Navy. In August 1741, he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine (the French Hydrographic Office) and was named Official Hydrographer of the French King.
During his term as Official Hydrographer, the Dépôt was the one of the most active centers for the production of sea charts and maps in Europe. Their output included a folio-format sea atlas of France, the Neptune Francois. He also produced a number of sea atlases of the world, including the Atlas Maritime and the Hydrographie Francaise. These gained fame and distinction all over Europe and were republished throughout the eighteenth and even in the nineteenth century.
Bellin also produced smaller format maps such as the 1764 Petit Atlas Maritime, containing 580 finely-detailed charts. He also contributed a number of maps for the 15-volume Histoire Generale des Voyages of Antoine François Prévost.
Bellin set a very high standard of workmanship and accuracy, cementing France's leading role in European cartography and geography during this period. Many of his maps were copied by other mapmakers across the continent.
