Carte des Prerogatives des Rois et de la Noblesse d’Angleterre, avec un Abrege de l’Etat Present de la Maison de la Reine et l’Etat de la Noblesse du Royaume

Map of the Prerogatives of the Kings and Nobility of England, with an Abstract of the Present State of the Queen’s House and the State of the Nobility of the Kingdom – Approximate Title Translation

The authority of Britain’s Queen Anne is celebrated on this sheet, which leverages Greek mythology to outline the functioning of the ruling class in England. The copperplate-engraved sheet was originally published in Paris as part of Henri Abraham Chatelain’s important Atlas Historique. This monumental seven-volume set was first issued in Amsterdam between 1705 and 1720, but was re-printed in numerous in several subsequent editions until the late 1730s. The scholarly, but approachable, work was aimed at a broad audience, eager for new information during the Age of Enlightenment. The breadth of content offers a nuanced synthesis of geography, cosmography, history, religion, ethnology, and political science. The descriptive text (in French) and skillfully engraved maps, diagrams, and illustrations provide a fascinating window into the world of the early 18th century.