1784 Nouveau Plan Routier de la Ville et Faubourgs de Paris
The Vintage Map Shop, Inc.
Regular price $65.00
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By: M. Pichon, Jacques Esnauts, Michel Rapilly
Original Date: 1784 (dated) Paris
Size of Original: 39 x 56 inches (99 x 142 cm)
This is a fine print reproduction of a spectacular and rare 18th-century wall map of Paris by M. Pichon, Jacques Esnauts, and Michel Rapilly. Published in 1784, just five years before the outbreak of the French Revolution, it captures the city at the height of the ancien régime, when Paris was both a glittering capital of Enlightenment culture and a city poised for dramatic transformation. The map provides a remarkably detailed depiction of the walled metropolis and its expanding faubourgs, or suburbs, offering a vivid glimpse of urban life in the final years of Louis XVI’s reign.
Centered upon the Seine River and the Île de la Cité, the map presents a masterfully engraved plan of streets, bridges, and landmarks that define late eighteenth century Paris. Each neighborhood is meticulously labeled, and extensive reference tables identify hundreds of streets, parishes, colleges, hospitals, and other notable institutions. Architectural and civic landmarks such as the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Bastille, and Les Invalides are rendered with precision, testifying to the city’s role as a center of science, art, and governance.
The composition is framed by a richly ornamented floral border and an elaborate title cartouche featuring allegorical figures of angels and a personification of Paris surrounded by emblems of the arts and sciences. Around the map, eight finely engraved vignettes depict prominent monuments and scenes from daily life, creating a balance between cartographic accuracy and artistic grandeur. These decorative elements situate the work within the Rococo and early Neoclassical traditions that dominated French printmaking of the era.
Issued on the eve of monumental political and social upheaval, this map preserves the grandeur of pre-Revolutionary Paris, a city still defined by its royal squares, religious institutions, and Enlightenment salons. Within just a decade, many of the places shown here, including the Bastille, would become symbols of revolution and change. Today, the map stands not only as a triumph of eighteenth century engraving and urban cartography, but also as a powerful historical document of a capital on the brink of reinvention.
Inventory #81029
About Our Prints
Our prints are fine art reproductions created from original antique maps and vintage posters in our collection, dating back to over 500 years. Each image is professionally scanned, in some cases digitally restored, and carefully printed to preserve the detail, tone, and character of the original work.
- Printed from original maps and prints in our collection
- High-resolution scans for exceptional clarity and detail
- Produced on premium archival paper for long-lasting quality
- Rich color and sharp definition suitable for framing
- Includes a 0.25 inch margin for trimming or matting
- Made to order and securely packaged for safe delivery
Returns and Exchanges
Our prints are made to order, so returns and exchanges are handled within a simple 14-day window. If you need to return or exchange a print, we ask that it be sent back in its original, undamaged condition.
- Returns accepted within 14 days of delivery
- 25% restocking fee on non-damaged returns
- Buyer pays return shipping
- Refunds issued to the original payment method
- Size exchanges available, with shipping and applicable fees paid by the buyer