[Map of the island of Barbados] The island of Barbadoes divided into its Parishes

Detailed antique map of the island of Barbados, made by the English cartographer Herman Moll. It contains a great deal of information relating to the roads, towns, churches, fortifications and plantations. The crosses surrounding the coast refer to the rocks that are underwater. A pair of cartouches relate the characteristics and location of the capital Bridgetown, as well as the prosperity of the island, both in its natural and human resources; even mentioning that at its best moment and in proportion to the land, Barbados came to be more populous than England. A characteristic of this original map is that it is oriented with the north to the left with a sixteen-wind rose crowned by a fleur-de-lis. Herman Moll (c.1654-1732) was a cartographer, engraver and publisher established in London in 1678 where he opened a bookshop and map shop. He produced his earliest maps from the detailed study he made of the work of other cartographers, such as John Senex and Emanuel Bowen. During the 1690s Moll worked as an engraver and partner in the workshop of Christopher Browne. In this period he published his first notable work independently, the Thesaurus Geographicus. The success of this work prompted him to publish his own maps. In 1701 he published A System of Geography, a fact that helped him to establish himself as an independent cartographer whose work began to influence that of other colleagues. During his life, and even after his death, Moll’s maps were influential and remain some of the most sought-after engravings in the history of cartography.