Le Royaume de Naples et de Sicilie - Le Rouge 1745

📜 Description
Original geographical map by Guillaume-Louis Le Rouge, published in Paris in 1745, depicting the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily according to the political and territorial organization of Southern Italy in the mid-eighteenth century. This antique map documents with considerable precision the mainland territory of the Kingdom of Naples, the island of Sicily, and the principal islands of the southern Mediterranean, highlighting settlements, administrative divisions, historical road networks, coastal morphology, and major geographical features. The composition is arranged according to a clear and functional cartographic layout, enriched by a large decorative cartouche in the upper right corner and an inset map of Sicily in the lower left, elements designed to facilitate the organization and reading of geographical information. The numerous place names distributed across the entire surface reflect the documentary purpose of the work and its role as a tool for political and territorial knowledge. Executed in etching on paper, the map constitutes a significant testimony to French Enlightenment cartography and to the European interest in Southern Italy during the eighteenth century.

📚 Historical and Artistic Note
Guillaume-Louis Le Rouge (1723–c.1780) ranks among the most notable French cartographers, engravers, and publishers of the eighteenth century. His works, characterized by an up-to-date scientific approach and high editorial standards, were widely circulated among administrators, scholars, and travelers. This map belongs to the geographical productions intended to describe the principal European states and reflects the evolution of Enlightenment cartography toward increasingly accurate representations of territory and its administrative divisions.

🧾 Technical Details
Type: Original geographical map
Author: Guillaume-Louis Le Rouge
Publisher / Printer: Guillaume-Louis Le Rouge
Place: Paris
Date: 1745
Material: Paper
Technique: Etching
Title / Subject: Le Royaume de Naples et de Sicile
Edition: French cartographic publication of the eighteenth century
Dimensions: Sheet 54 × 75 cm; engraved area 48.5 × 57.5 cm

🔍 Condition Report
Sheet in very good overall condition. A few small professional restorations. Engraved surface well preserved, clear, and strongly impressed. Paper in good condition with light age-related wear consistent with the period. Blank verso.