Pair of hand-colored copperplate engravings, the map by Jacques Nicolas Bellin, and the city view drawn by Jacob Van der Schley.  The map is the rare international version, with Dutch and French titles.  Both published in 1754.
 
Framed to museum-grade standards in a handmade 3/4 inch wide, antiqued gold beaded wood frame, conservation mat, and protected by Tru Vue Optium Museum Acrylic® glazing.  The city view has a mat opening size of 7 1/2 x 10 3/4 inches; overall size with frame: 12 1/4 x 15 1/2 inches.  The map has a mat opening size of 8 1/4 x 6 1/4 inches; overall size with frame: 13 x 11 inches.  The city view has a center fold as issued; both are in excellent condition.  As with all of our framed art, the frames and framing materials are new, and once framed is stored in a controlled environment away from light.
 
Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703 - 1772), was one of the most important cartographers of the 18th century, with a career spanning some 50 years.  Compared to earlier 17th and 18th century cartographic work, Bellin's maps focus on function and accuracy tending.  Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bellin was always careful to cite his references.  Despite his success, he did not always enjoy his work, which is described as "long, unpleasant, and hard".  In addition to numerous maps and charts published during his lifetime, many of Bellin's maps published posthumously with updates.
 
Jacob van der Schley (1715-1779) was a Dutch engraver and illustrator, known for his contribution to the production of several important 18th-century natural history publications.  He worked closely with naturalists and scientists, creating illustrations of animals, plants, and other natural phenomena based on their observations and descriptions.  Van der Schley's most famous work is probably his illustrations for "Histoire naturelle, générale et particulière" (Natural History, General and Particular), a massive 36-volume encyclopedia of natural history published in the mid-18th century, which was edited by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon.  Van der Schley produced hundreds of engravings for this work, depicting a wide variety of animals, plants, and geological formations.  Both the city view and map are from "Histoire naturelle..."