Original copperplate engraving on laid paper.
Hand-coloured.
Fine geographical map depicting the former administrative regions of Lorraine and Alsace, drawn by the French geographer and hydrographic engineer Rigobert Bonne (1727–1794). It was published in Paris in 1786 by the print publisher and dealer Jean Lattré, whose premises were located on Rue Saint-Jacques, “À la Ville de Bordeaux.”
The map provides a detailed representation of Lorraine and Alsace at the end of the Ancien Régime, only a few years before the French Revolution. It identifies the region’s principal cities, towns, villages, roads, waterways and territorial divisions. Among the most prominent locations are Metz, Nancy, Verdun, Toul, Strasbourg and Colmar, together with the territories of the Barrois, the Three Bishoprics, Lorraine and Alsace.
The neighbouring regions are likewise indicated: Champagne, the Duchy of Luxembourg, the Palatinate, Swabia, Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The Rhine forms the great natural eastern boundary of Alsace, while the Moselle, Meuse, Meurthe and their tributaries structure the territory of Lorraine.
The lower right-hand corner features an attractive Rococo-style title cartouche, richly decorated with garlands of flowers, roses, fruit and ears of wheat. It bears the inscription:
“Carte des Gouvernemens de Lorraine et d’Alsace, projetée et assujettie au Ciel par M. Bonne, Hydrogr. À Paris, chez Lattré, rue Saint-Jacques, à la Ville de Bordeaux, avec Privilège du Roi, 1786.”
Dimensions : Frame: Width 23.00 in. – Height 18.50 in. / Frame moulding: 1.18 in.,
(Frame: Width 58.4 cm – Height 47 cm / Frame moulding: 3 cm),
Condition : PERFECT CONDITION,
Period : Engraving: SECOND HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY – Dated 1786,
Framing : CONTEMPORARY – Comprising a bevelled inner border with an antique gold finish and a wide pale blue raw-silk mount. The whole is presented beneath glass in a giltwood frame, likewise enhanced with an antique gold finish.
Crédit Agricole
ou LYDIA 