Author: Jean Baptiste Louis Clouet
Year: 1776
This is a reproduction print of the historical map “Carte d'Europe divisée en ses empires et royaumes”, created by French cartographer Jean Baptiste Louis Clouet and published in Paris by Louis Joseph Mondhare in 1776.
The large-format political map presents Europe divided into its empires and kingdoms in the late 18th century, with political borders, cities, regions and geographical features rendered in detailed copper engraving. The original map measured approximately 96 × 122 cm and was printed from four separate copper plates.
One of its most distinctive features is the elaborate decorative border containing 24 illustrated historical scenes, each representing an important event from the history of a European state. Among them is the marriage of Mieszko I and Dobrawa and the Christianization of Poland, traditionally associated with the Baptism of Poland in 966.
The map also features an ornate title cartouche with three allegorical figures and a small inset showing Russian discoveries around Novaya Zemlya. The titles and accompanying texts appear in French and Spanish, while the main cartographic content is in French.
