This very large finely engraved hand coloured and extremely significant original revolutionary antique 4 x sheet map of North & South America by John Gibson - dedicated to revising the political boundaries in the New World after the Paris Treaty of 1763 - was published by Robert Sayer & John Bennett in 1777 - the date is engraved in the cartouche. This is a scarce edition, with records of only 2 sales of the 1777 edition since 1983.
This map was published and revised in 6 editions 1763, 1772, 1777, 1783, 1786 & 1794.
There are 18 records of sales of this map complete since 1983 culminating in a top price of $4000 in 1999.

John Gibson's celebrated map of the New World, shows the recently recognized boundaries of a United States still in its infancy and as decreed by the 1763 Treaty of Paris.
Superbly detailed and impressive in its size and beauty of design, the map is based on d'Anville's Americas maps, as well as recent Spanish explorations in northern California and the cartographic research of Governor Pownall in English North America.
Although the United States extends to the Mississippi, the province of Quebec appears to encroach on U.S. territory around the Great Lakes. Details of north-western North America are just beginning to emerge. The map shows a peninsular California, a Chinese colony ("Fou Sang") in British Columbia, and two possible locations for a "River of the West" (one with its source at Pike's lake; the other, further north at Lake Winnipeg). The South America sheet includes an inset map of northern North America to Baffin's Bay, showing Greenland as part of the North American mainland. Running through both sheets is a listing of the states of the United States and the American possessions of the various European colonial powers. The enormous title cartouche is a baroque fantasy with New World flora, both temperate and tropical, a beaver, a alligator, and an Indian chieftain's headdress.
The Treaty of Paris was signed between Britain, France, and Spain, reshaping the map of North America and ending the colonial phase of the Seven Years' War. France, defeated in the New World and frustrated in its war against Prussia, lost all claims to Canada and gave Louisiana to Spain, while Britain received Spanish Florida, Upper Canada, and various French holdings overseas. France's adventure in India also came to an end, ensuring the colonial supremacy of Britain in coming decades. Five days after the Treaty of Paris, the Treaty of Hubertusburg was signed, acknowledging Prussia's right to the Polish province of Silesia, a claim that seven years earlier had started the war. (Ref: M&B; Tooley)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy & stable
Paper color: - White
Age of map color: - Original & later 
Colors used: - Yellow, green, red 
General color appearance: - Authentic  
Paper size: - 47 1/2in x 41 1/2in (1.20m x 1.04m)
Margins: - Min 1/4in (6mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Several small restorations to margins, no loss. Left & right bottom corners restored
Plate area: - Folds & joins as issued, light creasing light toning
Verso: - Re-enforced along a couple of joins and folds

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