Netherlands - Netherlands; De L'Isle - CARTE DES PROVINCES UNIES DES PAYS BAS, BY DE L'ISLE & DEZAUCHE,1788. - 1781-1800

CARTE DES PROVINCES UNIES DES PAYS BAS.

A large, decorative and detailed copper line engraved map of the Low Countries produced by G. De L'Isle and here published by his successor J. A. Dezauche. The map was published in Paris and is dated 1788 in the plate. There is a large and decorative title cartouche.

Measures 475 x 610 mm. Excellent condition. Folds as issued.

Hand coloured.

A guaranteed genuine antique map.

GUILLAUME DE L'ISLE

Guillaume Delisle, also spelled Guillaume de l'Isle, (French: 28 February 1675, – 25 January 1726, Paris) was a French cartographer known for his popular and accurate maps of Europe and the newly explored Americas.

Deslile was the son of Marie Malaine and Claude Delisle (1644–1720). His mother died after childbirth and his father married again, to Charlotte Millet de la Croyère. Delisle and his second wife had as many as 12 children, but many of them died at a young age. Although the senior Delisle had studied law, he also taught history and geography. He had an excellent reputation in Paris’ intellectual circles, and served as a tutor to lords. Among them was the duke Philippe d’Orléans, who later became regent for the crown of France, and collaborated with Nicolas Sanson, a well-known cartographer. Guillaume and two of his half-brothers, Joseph Nicolas and Louis, ended up pursuing similar careers in science. While his father has to be given credit for educating Guillaume, the boy showed early signs of being an exceptional talent. He soon contributed to the family workshop, by drawing maps for his father's historical works. Some have questioned the authorship of these first maps, saying that Delisle only copied what his father had done before him. In order to perfect his skills, Guillaume Delisle became the student of the astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini. Early on he produced high-quality maps, the first being his Carte de la Nouvelle-France et des Pays Voisins in 1696

At 27, Delisle was admitted into the French Académie Royale des Sciences, an institution financed by the French state. After that date, he signed his maps with the title of "Géographe de l’Académie". Five years later, he moved to the Quai de l’Horloge in Paris, a true publishing hub where his business prospered. Delisle's progress culminated in 1718 when he received the title of Premier Géographe du Roi.  He was appointed to teach geography to the Dauphin, King Louis XIV’s son, a task for which he received a salary.

After Guillaume Delisle's death in 1726, his widow tried to preserve the workshop and protect the family. She appealed to the king with the help of the abbot Bignon, the king's librarian and president of the academies. By that time, Guillaume's brothers Joseph-Nicolas and Louis had already left France to serve Peter the Great in Russia. The youngest Delisle, Simon Claude, lacked practical knowledge in cartography; he asked for the king's help in finding him an associate. The Delisle workshop was bequeathed to Philippe Buache.