Europe - Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dalmatia; Claude Buy de Mornas (+-1717 /1783) - François-Nicolas Martinet (1731 /1800) - Louis Charles Desnos - "De la Pannonie, de la Liburnie, de la Dalmatie et de la Grèce en Général" - 1761-1780

The composition is enclosed within a rich and detailed ornate frame engraved with floral motifs and Baroque elements, which integrates small illustrative details such as open books and measuring instruments at the corners, giving the work considerable artistic and collecting value. Inside the cartouche, a detailed map with colored borders of its era.

The inscriptions and dense columns of text that surround the map have a very precise meaning: they constitute a true didactic manual and an ancient historical-chronological compendium of the represented map. The text explains the geopolitical situation during Roman rule, detailing the region, peoples and main cities.

Copper engraving in black and white, excellent inking and intaglio printing on laid paper with watermark, ample margins, all as in the photo. Good state of preservation, slight traces of foxing and browning. Editorial crease and visible binding marks. Shipment insured via Bartolini/DPD courier. To benefit from the insurance coverage, any damage to the neck must be contested and reported to the courier at the time of delivery. Otherwise, it will not be possible to activate the insurance reimbursement procedure.

The work is the result of the combined efforts of two key figures of French cartography of the eighteenth century:

The author of the content and geographer: Claude Buy de Mornas (died 1783). He was a renowned French geographer and historian, awarded the prestigious title of Géographe de Monseigneur le Duc de Berry (the future King Louis XVI). He conceived the historical-didactic framework and the explanatory texts of the entire work.
He was a French geographer and professor of geography in the eighteenth century. In 1761 he published, together with Louis-Charles Desnos, the important work entitled Atlas Méthodique et Elémentaire de Géographie et d'Histoire. His maps and geographic charts (including works on Africa and celestial maps) are preserved in collections of rare and ancient prints.

The publisher, geographer and printer: Louis-Charles Desnos (1725–1805). A eminent Parisian cartographer and bookseller with a shop on Rue Saint-Jacques, he held the coveted title of “Globator Royal” for King Christian VII of Denmark. Desnos designed the maps, coordinated the engravings, and physically published the volumes in his printing establishment.

Alongside these two figures is François-Nicolas Martinet (1731–1800), the extraordinary artist and engraver who actually drew and inscribed on copper the sumptuous Rococo frames surrounding each plate of the atlas. Do you wish to explore the biography of one of these figures or receive details on the printing techniques used by Desnos in his Parisian workshop?

Claude Buy de Mornas was an important French geographer, historian and professor of geography active in the mid-18th century. Although little is known about his personal biographical notes, his importance is tied to the prestigious institutional roles he held at the French court and to his innovative didactic vision of cartography.

He was named Geographe de Monseigneur le Duc de Berry (Geographer of Monseigneur the Duke of Berry), who at the time was the very young nephew of Louis XV.

When the Duke of Berry ascended the throne as Louis XVI, Buy de Mornas retained the official post, becoming, in effect, Geographer of the King (Géographe du Roy).

Louis Charles Desnos (1725–April 18, 1805) was a French geographer of the eighteenth century, Parisian bookseller and “geographer-engineer for the globes and the spheres of His Danish Majesty, Christian VII.” He ran a shop on Rue Saint-Jacques, at the Globe.

François-Nicolas Martinet (Paris, 1731–1800) was one of the most celebrated and prolific French designers and engravers of the eighteenth century. His signature on your plate (“par Martinet”) represents a huge added artistic and collecting value.