TitleEngraving, Vue de Macao en Chine, Pl. 40 of Atlas du voyage de LapérouseDate1980sAbout this objectThis print is one among 30 copperplate engravings from Atlas du voyage de Lapérouse, restruck in 1980s from the original 1797 plates and gifted to La Perouse Museum by Musée de la Marine in 1988. This panoramic view of Praia Grande Bay depicts the houses, fortifications, churches and undulating landscape in Macau, China. Among the human figures depicted in the image, four Franciscan friars stand out in the foreground, one of whom is shown conversing with a man in local dress and hair tied into a queue. At their feet, a rectangular structure embedded into the paved ground resembles a gravestone. The presence of the friars and churches is a reminder of the spread of Catholicism in Macau since the 16th century.
The original copperplates of the 1797 atlas accompanying the journal of La Pérouse’s expedition during 1785 and 1788 are now held in the collection of the Musée de la Marine, Paris. They were etched in 1796-1797 based on sketches sent back to France during the expedition. Object No.88.27-19CreatorDuche de Vancy|Masquelier|L. AubertInscriptions & marksdessine par Duche de Vancy; grave par Masquelier; L. Aubert scripsit.Place madeParisMaterialPaperSourceLa Perouse MuseumProvenance 1980s – restruck by Musée de la Marine
1988 – donated to La Perouse Museum Credit lineGift of Musée de la Marine, Paris, 1988Acquisition date1988On displayNoTypeMuseum objectsOrganisations (Detailed entries)La Perouse Museum (La Perouse, N.S.W.)ThemesEuropean arrivals
Duche de Vancy|Masquelier|L. Aubert, Engraving, Vue de Macao en Chine, Pl. 40 of Atlas du voyage de Lapérouse (1980s). Randwick City Council, accessed 02/06/2026, https://ourstory.randwick.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/12306
