IRAN PERSIAN EMPIRE 1652 NICOLAS SANSON UNUSUAL ANTIQUE COPPER ENGRAVED MAP

L'Empire du Sophy des Perses. Par le Sr. Sanson d'Abbeville Geographe du Roy. Avec privilege pour 20 ans. 1652.

Description: Striking and highly detailed fine unusual 1652 copper engraved map of the Persian Empire covering the region of present-day Kuwait, Iraq, and Iran with a part of the Arabian Peninsula.
 
The map’s composition includes a decorative cartouche in the lower left corner, bearing the title and the author’s credentials as the “Geographe du Roy.” This cartouche is adorned with elaborate motifs, a common feature in maps of this era, adding both aesthetic appeal and emphasizing the map's significance.
 
Significant landmarks and features are prominently displayed. The map delineates major cities, towns, and villages, illustrating the political boundaries of the Persian Empire during the 17th century. Notable regions such as Chorasan, Parthia, and Media are marked, providing insight into the historical and cultural landscape of the time.
 
The map also includes the depiction of surrounding bodies of water, such as the Caspian Sea (labeled as "Mer Caspienne") and the Arabian Sea ("Mer d'Arabie"), which are crucial for understanding the geographical context and trade routes of the Persian Empire.
 
The medium of copper engraving, combined with hand coloring, reflects the cartographic techniques of the period. This method allowed for detailed and precise lines, essential for the intricate depiction of geographical and political details. The hand coloring, often used to highlight borders and significant features, adds clarity and depth to the map.
 
Culturally and historically, this map is an important artifact, representing the extent of European knowledge and interest in the Persian Empire during the 17th century. It reflects the influence of Jesuit missionary sources, indicating the exchange of information between Europe and Asia. Sanson’s work is part of a larger effort to document and understand the world, contributing to the field of geography and cartography in a period marked by exploration and discovery.
 
The map is part of Sanson’s first published atlases, which are significant for their comprehensive approach to documenting the continents in separate volumes. This particular map is included in the atlas of Asia, showcasing the Persian Empire as a major political and cultural entity of the time.
 
In summary, "L'Empire du Sophy des Perses" is a richly detailed and historically significant map that offers a window into the Persian Empire and its place in the 17th-century world. The map is a testament to Nicolas Sanson’s skill as a cartographer and his contribution to the documentation of global geography. It serves as both an artistic and scholarly piece, reflecting the interconnectedness of cultures and the quest for knowledge during this era.

Date: 1652 ( dated )

Dimension: Map size approx.: cm 24,3 x 19,3 === Paper size approx.: cm 27,7 x 24,9
 
Condition: Very strong and dark impression. Map sticked on board on the reverse. Map uncolored. All the margins missing. Smal. Conditions are as you can see in the images. 

Mapmakers: Nicolas Sanson (1600 - 1667) and his descendants were the most influential French cartographers of the 17th century and laid the groundwork for the Golden Age of French Cartography. Sanson started his career as a historian where, it is said, he turned to cartography as a way to illustrate his historical studies. In the course of his research some of his fine maps came to the attention of King Louis XIII who, admiring the quality of his work, appointed Sanson Geographe Ordinaire du Roi. Sanson's duties in this coveted position included advising the king on matters of geography and compiling the royal cartographic archive. In 1644 he partnered with Pierre Mariette, an established print dealer and engraver, whose business savvy and ready capital enabled Sanson to publish an enormous quantity of maps. Sanson's corpus of some three hundred maps initiated the golden age of French mapmaking and he is considered the 'Father of French Cartography.' His work is distinguished as being the first of the 'Positivist Cartographers,' a primarily French school of cartography that valued scientific observation over historical cartographic conventions. The practice result of the is less embellishment of geographical imagery, as was common in the Dutch Golden Age maps of the 16th century, in favor of conventionalized cartographic representational modes. Sanson is most admired for his construction of the magnificent atlas Cartes Generales de Toutes les Parties du Monde. Sanson's maps of North America, Amerique Septentrionale (1650), Le Nouveau Mexique et La Floride (1656), and La Canada ou Nouvelle France (1656) are exceptionally notable for their important contributions to the cartographic perceptions of the New World. Both maps utilize the discoveries of important French missionaries and are among the first published maps to show the Great Lakes in recognizable form. Sanson was also an active proponent of the insular California theory, wherein it was speculated that California was an island rather than a peninsula. After his death, Sanson's maps were frequently republished, without updates, by his sons, Guillaume (1633 - 1703) and Adrien Sanson (? - 1708). Even so, Sanson's true cartographic legacy as a 'positivist geographer' was carried on by others, including Alexis-Hubert Jaillot, Guillaume De L'Isle, Gilles Robert de Vaugondy, and Pierre Duval.