France in Relief. Masterpieces from the collection of relief maps from Louis XIV to Napoleon III.
NMR| N° d'inventaire | 15778 |
| Format | 21 x 26.5 |
| Détails | 46 p., color reproductions, paperback. |
| Publication | Paris, 2012 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782711859351 |
The relief maps, historical models of fortified towns at a scale of 1/600, constitute a unique collection in the world, both royal and imperial, begun in 1668 under Louis XIV and enriched until 1873. Initially designed for military purposes, they allowed, through the representation of fortifications and their environment, to prepare for war operations. They were also used for diplomatic and prestige purposes: exhibited until 1777 in the Bord-de-l'eau gallery of the Louvre, they demonstrated the power of France. Sixteen models are presented here, chosen from among the most spectacular, such as that of Cherbourg which alone extends over 160 m2. Rarely shown to the public, and sometimes never even taken out of the reserves of the Invalides, these relief maps, aesthetic and technical masterpieces, were created from precise surveys carried out on the ground: the smallest details are an exact reflection of reality. Defying the centuries, they offer us today a majestic and immobile vision of a France that has disappeared and transformed, which fuels our reflection on national and local history, and on the notions of space, borders, and territory.
The relief maps, historical models of fortified towns at a scale of 1/600, constitute a unique collection in the world, both royal and imperial, begun in 1668 under Louis XIV and enriched until 1873. Initially designed for military purposes, they allowed, through the representation of fortifications and their environment, to prepare for war operations. They were also used for diplomatic and prestige purposes: exhibited until 1777 in the Bord-de-l'eau gallery of the Louvre, they demonstrated the power of France. Sixteen models are presented here, chosen from among the most spectacular, such as that of Cherbourg which alone extends over 160 m2. Rarely shown to the public, and sometimes never even taken out of the reserves of the Invalides, these relief maps, aesthetic and technical masterpieces, were created from precise surveys carried out on the ground: the smallest details are an exact reflection of reality. Defying the centuries, they offer us today a majestic and immobile vision of a France that has disappeared and transformed, which fuels our reflection on national and local history, and on the notions of space, borders, and territory.