Original map of part of the French Empire, the Kingdom of Holland and Westphalia ("Partie de l'Empire Français, Royaume de Hollande, Westphalie"), engraved on copper with hand-coloured outlines, from the work of the geographer Robert de Vaugondy. According to the cartouche, it was corrected by C. F. Delamarche, his successor, in 1806. A colour key distinguishes the part of the French Empire, the Kingdom of Holland and the States of Prince Joachim (Murat), reflecting Napoleonic Europe in that very year; with a scale bar.
Gilles and Didier Robert de Vaugondy, father and son, were renowned eighteenth-century cartographers, descendants of the cartographer Nicolas Sanson, from whom they inherited much of their cartographic material. In 1757 they published their most famous work, the Atlas Universel, and in 1760 Didier Robert de Vaugondy was appointed geographer to Louis XV. Their successor Delamarche later revised and corrected the plates.
Medium: Copper engraving (intaglio) on paper, with hand-coloured outlines.
Artist / after: Robert de Vaugondy; corrected by C. F. Delamarche, his successor.
Date: 1806, as stated in the cartouche.
Dimensions: Plate 10.1 x 12.6 in (25.6 x 32 cm); sheet 12.5 x 17.7 in (31.8 x 45 cm).
Condition: Scattered age foxing in the margins and some small spots on the map; light toning; original central fold; wide margins.