MOLL, Herman (1654-1732)

A New and Exact Map of France Dividid into all its Provinces and Acquisitions, according to the Newest Observations, and that accurate Survey made by the King's Command by Mr. Picar and de la Hire, with the Post Roads and the Computed Leagues from Town to Town, and the Passes of the Pirenean Mountains and many other Remarcks &c.

London: J. Bowles, P. Overton, T. Bowles, John King, c. 1740. Hand-coloured engraving. Repaired loss to bottom left corner outside neat line with facsimile border. Trimmed to platemark in places in top margin. Three vertical creases where map was folded into atlas. Multiple creases parallel to center fold. Splits in vertical folds have been rebacked. Sheet size: 24 3/8 x 38 1/2 inches.

A superb map of France during the reign of Louis XV.

This large, marvellous Moll map of France bears his distinctive style and the fruits of his diligence. There is a lengthy, alphabetical index of more than 280 towns giving their distances from Paris as well as names and locations of passes through the Pyrenees. The source for this information was Nicolas de Fer. The depiction of France itself includes the roads and the distances from point to point on those roads in leagues, a relatively new feature in maps. Also noted, by a sword and date, are battle sites in which the English were involved or "mentioned in History" as he puts it. The cartouche includes two emblematic figures dressed for battle, one, Bacchus perhaps, the god of wine, and one loosely draped in a cloth adorned with fleur-de-lys who seems to represent French Royalty and, indirectly, French culture.

Item #10362

Price: $750.00