Carte pour Conduire a L’Intelligence de La Fable et Servir de Secours a la Connoissance de l’Histoire avec des Explications et des Instructions pour en Comprendre le sens Moral

Interpreting Enlightenment-era morality from Classical mythology.

“Map to Lead to the Understanding of Fable and to Serve as an Aid to the Knowledge of History with Explanations and Instructions to Understand its Moral Sense” – Approximate title translation.

This eye-catching compilation presents fifty-two different characters from Roman mythology. Well-known deities like Jupiter, Bacchus, and Circe are included along with more minor heroes like Glaucus, Hyacinth, and even Caesar! Brief biographies are provided for each, along with a reference table along the lower edge.

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. 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. Descriptive text (in French) and skillfully engraved maps, diagrams, and illustrations provide a fascinating window into the world of the early 18th century.