Pl. 29.

Title

Pl. 29.

Map depicts the city of Milazzo and its sourrounding in Sicily.

ca. 1754

Artist

Roux (1725-1793)

Joseph Roux (1725–1793), from Marseille, came from a family of hydrographers and marine cartographers. He ran a workshop-boutique at the Vieux-Port of Marseille, which he had taken over from his father. His main focus was the creation of nautical charts and plans of harbors, bays, and coastlines — particularly in the Mediterranean region.bIn 1764, for example, he published a series of twelve large sheets under the title Carte de la Mer Méditerranée en douze feuilles ("Map of the Mediterranean Sea in twelve sheets"). He produced chart sheets with depth soundings (for navigation), anchorages, coastlines, and more — for example: maps like “Isle de Sicile. Mer Méditerranée” from around 1760. Around that time, nautical cartography was entering a phase in which detailed harbor and coastal plans were becoming increasingly important for trade, naval operations, and navigation. Although Roux’s maps were rooted in Marseille, they gained broader significance due to his status as Hydrographe du Roi (Hydrographer to the King) and the widespread distribution of his works.