TitleEngraving, Carte du Grand Ocean ou mer du Sud, Pl. 3 of Atlas du voyage de LapérouseDate1988About this objectThis item belongs to a group of 70 copperplate engravings printed and hand coloured in 1988 – to mark the bicentenary of La Pérouse’s visit of Botany Bay – using the original 1797 plates. The set of prints were gifted to the La Perouse Museum in 2003 by Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France on behalf of the Terra Australis Committee, France. This engraving focuses on the Pacific Ocean with lines indicating the route taken by La Pérouse. The line ends in Botany Bay – where the French navigator was last seen – while Australia’s southern coast and Tasmania are left incomplete on the map.
The original copperplates of the 1797 atlas accompanying the journal of Lapérouse’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.2003.1-3Inscriptions & marksCarte du Grand Ocean ou Mer du Sud. Dressee pour la Relation du Voyage de Decouvertes faites par les Fregates Francaises la Boussole et l'Astrolabe dans les annees 1785, 86, 87, et 88 / HYD FR. No. 539 / P.F. Tardieu sculp / PRIX. 1F.50cPlace madeFranceSourceLa Perouse MuseumProvenance 1797 – first edition of the Atlas du voyage de Lapérouse published by the Imprimerie de la Republique;
1988 – printed and hand coloured by the Musée de la Marine, Paris from the 1797 copperplates;
24 March 2003 – gifted to the La Perouse Museum on behalf of Terra Australis Committee with the support of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.Credit lineGift of Mr Michel Rocard on behalf of Terra Australis Committee France with the support of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, 2003Acquisition date24 March 2003Locationsnot sighted 11 May 2026Organisations (Detailed entries)La Perouse Museum (La Perouse, N.S.W.)ThemesEuropean arrivals
Engraving, Carte du Grand Ocean ou mer du Sud, Pl. 3 of Atlas du voyage de Lapérouse (1988). Randwick City Council, accessed 15/07/2026, https://ourstory.randwick.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/13883
