Nouveau Plan de la Ville, Cité et Université de Paris avec ses Faubourgs.
[New plan of the city and university of Paris, together with its suburbs]
Paris: ROUSSEL, [Claude?], 1717 (dated)
Size (neatline): 54.0 x 40.6 cm / 21.3 x 16.0 in
Size (sheet): 60.3 x 48.0 cm / 23.7 x 18.9 in
Technique: Copper engraving
Colour: Hand coloured
Verso: Blank
Condition: Very good
Very rare 1717 edition of Paris city plan by Roussel
Description
This intriguing city plan of Paris from the early 18th century shows what today is the core part of the metropolitan area of the French capital. Oriented to the northeast, it reaches from present-day Saint-Denis (Faubourg Saint Denis) in the north to Montparnasse (Faubourg St. Michel / Faubourg St. Jacques) in the south, and from the quartier d’Aligre (Faubourg Saint Antoine) in the east to La Madeleine (La Ville l’Eveque) in the west.
Easily identifiable landmarks include, among other, the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries, the Île de la Cité and Notre-Dame cathedral, the Bastille, the Hôtel des Invalides, and the Jardin du Luxembourg.
A legend at bottom left defines about 20 symbols used throughout the plan. Further, there are no less than 10 text fields in various formats scattered around, providing either a combination of numbered and/or lettered references to, for instance, churches and roads, or various background information, such as a description of Paris, the names of the colleges of the university, and the history of the Hôtel des Invalides.
Some of the text fields also convey all sorts of curious statistical data for Paris, citing, for instance, a population of over 900,000, “of whom 250,000 are capable of bearing arms”. Further, there is mention that:
“… annually … more than 150,000 oxen or cows, 550,000 sheep, 125,000 calves, 40,000 pigs, and a prodigious quantity of poultry, game, and fish from the sea and freshwater are consumed; more than 100,000 casks of grain are consumed … More than 300,000 casks of wine are drunk, in addition to beers, ciders, and brandies … The expense of lanterns to light the night for five months amounts to more than 500,000 livres. There are more than 20,000 carriages rolling through the streets … there are also 18,000 baptisms and more per year, and almost as many burials, and around 4,000 marriages.”
Most importantly, though, it is also stated that “… the burghers are obliged to sweep every day in front of their door.”!
Features a lightly decorated title cartouche at bottom right and a second title, across the top, reading “Nouveau Plan de Paris”.
A scarce and insightful map from a time when the “City of Light” was only a fraction of its current size.
Rarity
The plan is very rare. A larger, extended version in at least three editions (1716, 1718, 1738) can be found in institutional holdings and occasionally appears on the market. However, we can locate only one institutional holding of the 1713 edition of the present version of the plan and are not able to identify any holdings of the 1717 edition offered here for sale. Further, we are not able to trace any sales of either of those two editions by a dealer or auction house over the last 40 years.
Condition
Very good.
Issued folding, now flattened. Coloured in outline. Light toning, showing in margins from old framing. Light crease at upper right. Light fraying and minor tears, contained to blank margins and partially closed with archival tape. On verso, professional reinforcement of centrefold, and old manuscript annotation in ink “Paris 3”.
Item #: 02960
US $1,300.00