Bernard PICART (1673-1733), Title page of a chapter of the Historical Atlas, 1720

"Historical Atlas", published by Henri Abraham Châtelain, Amsterdam (1719-1720)
copperplate engraving hand-colored in watercolor, paper; 42 x 26 cm (light passe-partout);
Signed and dated on plate l. d.: "B. Picart inv. et facit 1720";
under the composition, description in French.
Glosa: "Atlas historique, ou Nouvelle introduction a l'histoire, a la chronologie et a la geographie ancienne et moderne [...]" was an exceptional publication in terms of content and richness of illustrations. The maps including illustrations compiled "in plano" were printed from 285 copperplate plates. The maps were engraved by Henri Abraham Châtelain, mainly based on the work of French cartographer Guillaume de L'Isle. Illustrations according to his own ideas were engraved by Bernard Picart, and the French-language texts accompanying the illustrations covered such fields as cosmography, geography, history, genealogy, heraldry, biblical history, etc.
Henri Abraham Châtelain (1684-1743) - Huguenot pastor; lived successively in Paris, St. Martins, London (c. 1710), The Hague (c. 1721) and Amsterdam (c. 1728). He was a talented artist, skillfully combining a wealth of historical and geographical information with delicate engraving and uncomplicated composition. The groundbreaking work of the time included studies in geography, history, ethnology, heraldry and cosmography. The maps by Châtelain are a magnificent example of the golden age of French cartography. Châtelain's publishing firm, Châtelain Freres and Châtelain & Fils, operated in Amsterdam from about 1700 to 1770.
Bernard Picart (1673, Paris -1733, Amsterdam) - designer, engraver. He first learned the engraving profession from his father Étienne Picart (1632-1721) and Benoît Audran le Vieux, and then from Sébastien Leclerc (in 1689). Between 1696 and 1698 he first visited the Netherlands, where he returned, settling permanently in Amsterdam from 1711. A respected, prolific artist, he gained notoriety; the number of commissions reduced the level of his engraving art over time.