Nouvelle Carte d'Italie et des Pays Limitrophes

Nouvelle Carte d'Italie et des pays limitrophes traitée suivant l'analise la plus interessante de ses differens etats avec toutes les possessions des venetiens...Par le Sr. Brion Ingénieur Géographe. Gravée par André.

Rare first edition of this large travel map of Italy (28 separate plates mounted on canvas), printed in Paris by Longchamps in 1764.

At the top right is an elegant decorative cartouche with the title, disclaimers, and the date. At the bottom is a table with an explanation of the colors and a box with the islands of Malta and Gozo. At the bottom left is a legend of the symbols.

Louis Brion de la Tour (1743 - 1803) was the Cartographer Royal to the King of France, his official title being Ingenieur-Geographe du Roi. Despite a prolific cartographic career and several important atlases to his name, little is actually known of his life and career. He may have been born in Bordeaux. His son of the same name was born in 1763 and published until his death in 1832. It is nearly impossible to distinguish the work of the father from the work of the son, as both used the same imprint and were active in roughly the same period. Much of their work was published in partnership Louis Charles Desnos (fl. 1750 - 1790). Their most notable work is generally regarded to be his 1766 Atlas General.

Etching, printed on contemporary laid paper and finely hand-colored at the time, in excellent condition.