La Scandinavie et les Environs

The zenith of the Swedish Empire in the 18th century.

This marvelous late 17th-century map of Scandinavia captures the region during a period of intense rivalry between the Swedish Empire (labeled here as the Couronne de Suede) and the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway. Both powers struggled for dominance over the Baltic Sea and access to the North Atlantic, a conflict that saw Denmark-Norway forced to cede strategic territories along the southern tip of the peninsula.

Hand color is used to delineate the various political jurisdictions, while pictorial elements denote the forests and mountains that served as formidable barriers to trade and travel. The elaborate decorative cartouches reflect the cultural and economic identity of the north; a hunter and fisherman flanking the distance scale highlight the cornerstones of the regional economy- furs and fish. The title cartouche prominently features the coat of arms of the Dauphin of France, accompanied by swags of netting laden with fish and various military motifs.

Published in Paris in 1692 by Alexis-Hubert Jaillot, the map utilizes the foundational research of the pioneering cartographer Nicolas Sanson. Having attained the prestigious title of Géographe du Roi to Louis XIV in 1686, Jaillot likely intended this map from his Atlas Nouveau to serve as a pedagogical tool for Le Grand Dauphin, educating the heir to the French throne on the geographic and political circumstances of France’s northern allies and rivals.