ZEILLER (Martin). Topographia Galliae, sive Descriptio et de - Lot 41

ZEILLER (Martin). Topographia Galliae, sive Descriptio et delineatio famosissimorum locorum in potentissimo Regno Galliae... Frankfurt, Gaspar Merian, 1655. One vol. in-folio (of 3), marbled calf, ornate spine, coat of arms on covers with monogram at corners, repeated on spine, red jaspered pages (Period binding). First part of the Latin edition, published the same year as the German and Flemish editions. The text was written by the writer and geographer Martin Zeiller (1589-1661), but the work is invaluable thanks to its rich iconography featuring maps, plans and views of major French cities, towns, castles, cloisters, gardens and more. The engravings, here in superb editions, are by Gaspard Merian (1627-1687), son of Matthieu Merian, partly based on compositions by Peeter. Our first part covers the Ile de France region, and features a title-frontispiece with full-length portraits of Clovis and Louis XIV, title, (4 f. dedication), 1 large folded map of France, topographia pp. 5 - 80, 2 maps of Paris and Ile de France, folded, 2 LARGE AND CELEBRATED PERSPECTIVE VIEWS OF PARIS, one dated 1620, the other 1654, both folded, (4 f. explanation for Paris), 107 plates, of which more than 80 are double-page or folded, many of them with two Views, Palaces, Castles, Mansions, Churches, Gardens of Paris and surrounding areas: Anet, Beauvais, Compiègne, St Cloud, St Denis, Corbeil, Etampes, Poissy, Ecouan, Fontainebleau, St Germain-en Laye, Lagny, Maisons-Lafitte, Meudon, Senlis... (4 ff. index and tables). One of the most important topographical atlases of the 17th century. EXEMPLAIRE WITH THE ARMS AND FIGURES OF HELIE DU FRESNOY, a very rare provenance. The frontispiece bears the signature of the Duc de Valentinois and the date 1739, in ink, in the margin below the subject. Ref: Brunet V, 1529.