Duché de Bourbonnois - Pierre Mariette (I)

A detailed seventeenth-century copperplate engraving of the French Duché de Bourbonnois, featuring a decorative title cartouche.

This copperplate engraving depicts the Duché de Bourbonnois, a historical province of France. Produced in the mid-seventeenth century, the map reflects the cartographic standards of the period, prioritising administrative boundaries and topographical features over precise geodetic accuracy. The work features a decorative cartouche in the lower left corner, which contains the title and date. The surrounding regions, including parts of Berry and Auvergne, are delineated with clear borders, while towns, villages, and forested areas are represented by stylised symbols.

Pierre Mariette (I) was a prominent Parisian print seller and publisher. His establishment was a hub for the distribution of maps and engravings during the reign of Louis XIV. This specific map demonstrates the technical precision typical of French cartography from this era. The engraving process allows for fine detail in the lettering and the rendering of mountain ranges, which are shown as small, repetitive hill symbols. The map serves as a record of the political geography of the Bourbonnais region before the administrative reforms of the French Revolution.

As a piece of historical documentation, the print offers insight into how seventeenth-century Europeans visualised their territory. The use of copperplate engraving allowed for the mass production of such maps, making geographical information more accessible to scholars and administrators. The composition is balanced, with the cartouche providing a visual anchor against the dense network of place names and river systems. This print is a specimen of the cartographic output that defined the era of French royal expansion and internal consolidation. It remains a valuable reference for those interested in the history of French regional geography and the development of early modern printing techniques.