L’Europe divisée suivant l’estendue de ses principaux Estats subdivisés en leurs principales provinces.

A recent reproduction of a map of Europe originally published by Alexis-Hubert Jaillot  (1632-1712)*, who drew on the earlier work of Nicholas Sanson**. The title roughly translates as “Europe divided along the expanse of its main states subdivided into their major provinces.”

This would be really cool if it were real, but unfortunately this is not and it is a good example of why you should never buy an antique map without removing it from the frame. When removed from the frame one can see  that the paper is wrong, the margin around the edge of the engraved plate mark and the paper is far too wide, it’s obviously not copper plate engraved, etc.

The most interesting part of its fakeness is that it looks like it was removed from an atlas and then framed. There is a cut and match line down the center of the map, like one would find at the folds of a book.

It still has some redeeming qualities as a decorator piece or conversation starter since the map shows a wonderful view of Europe in the late 17th Century. There are great details to be unearthed including notable the location of the prime meridian intersecting Iceland (the modern site of the prime meridian wasn’t settled as running through Greenwich  until 1884), the various measurement scales in use at the time and numerous archaic political divisions (Prussia and Petite Tartarie for example).

The map is about 40 1/2 inches wide by 28 1/2 inches tall in the frame.

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Sanson and his sons (Guillaume and Adrien) were important French cartographers. Nicholas’s work was taken over by his sons after his death however before he died he also partnered with Jaillot on a variety of maps and after his death Jaillot continued to publish and update Sanson’s maps.

After the death of Sanson, Jaillot collected his maps and published a great compendium, the Atlas Nouveau. It was originally published in Paris in 1689 (though other sources have dates as early as 1674 and 1680). Later editions were issued in 1691 and 1695. Interestingly even more editions were published in Amsterdam in 1692, 1696 and 1698 by Pierre Mortier. The legitimacy of these editions is debated, but all bear proper attribution to Sanson and Jaillot.

If by some chance you have an interest in the peculiarities of Sanson and Jaillot’s careers or the general history of maps in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries a perusal of Sir Herbert George Fordham’s 1929 work on the subject is highly recommended.

*Alexis Jaillot:

“Alexis Hubert Jaillot (c. 1632- 1712) followed Nicholas Sanson (1600 – 1667) and his descendents in ushering in the great age of French Cartography in the late 17th and 18th century.

Hubert Jaillot was born in [Avignon] Franche-Comte and trained as a sculptor. When he married the daughter [Jeanne] of the enlumineur de la Reine, Nicholas Berey, he found himself positioned to inherit a lucrative map and print publishing firm. When Nicholas Sanson, the premier French cartographer of the day died Jaillot negotiated with his heirs to republish much of Sanson’s work.

Though not a cartographer himself, Jaillot’s access to the Sanson plates enabled him to publish numerous maps and atlases with only slight modifications and updates to the originals. As a sculptor and an artist, Jaillot’s maps were particularly admired for their elaborate and meaningful allegorical title cartouches and other decorative elements. Jaillot used his allegorical cartouche work to extol the virtues of the Sun King Louis IV, and his military and political triumphs. These earned him the patronage of the French crown who used his maps in the tutoring of the young Dauphin (and continued long after youth passed since at time of the publication of this map he was 35).

In 1686 [or 1675] he was awarded the title of Geographe du Roi and with it significant prestige and the coveted yearly stipend of 600 Livres. Jaillot was one of the last of a generation of French map makers to acquire this title. Louis XV, after taking the throne, replaced the position with the more prestigious and singular title of Premier Geographe du Roi. Jaillot died in Paris in 1712.”

-Biography courtesy of Geographicus.com, notes in brackets are taken from Fordham, those in parentheses from other sources.

**Sanson started his career as a historian and used cartography as a way to illustrate his historical studies. Some of his maps came to the attention of Cardinal Richelieu who in turn introduced them to the king, Louis XIII. The king appointed Sanson Geographe Ordinaire du Roi. Sanson’s duties included advising the King on matters of Geography and compiling the royal map archive. In time he built a legacy of roughly three hundred maps and is largely responsible for initiating the ”golden age of French Cartography”. After his death, Sanson’s cartographic work was carried on by his sons, Guillaume and Adrien Sanson by A. H. Jaillot and Pierre Duval, with whom the partnered.