Atlas historique, tome II

Henri Abraham Châtelain, working with members of his family, produced a seven-volume encyclopaedic atlas between 1705 and 1720. The work combined geography, chronology, genealogy, history, politics, religion, and moral instruction. Its engraved title pages form part of the atlas’s larger educational programme, presenting history and geography through allegory as well as through maps maps, text, tables, and institutional diagrams.

Six different titlepages are associated with the Atlas historique. This title page and 361were made for the second volume, first published in 1708. The design is attributed to Romeyn de Hooghe and the engraving to Pieter Sluyter. At the centre, the allegorical figure of Truth sits with a mirror, allowing her to look back into the past. In her left hand she holds a book in which the bearded figure of History records events, making the image a visual statement about historical inquiry, memory, and evidence. Behind them, Zeus sits on a great sphere with his sceptre, orb, eagle, and thunderbolts. At right, the winged figure of Time appears with his scythe, while another figure, perhaps representing maritime trade, holds a steering rudder and counts coins on an urn. Ships are visible through the clouds, linking history and geography to navigation, commerce, and overseas expansion.

The upper part of the image presents allegorical figures associated with the European powers discussed in the second volume. Great Britain is identifiable by her crowned figure and armorial shield. Other figures appear to represent European kingdoms and republics, including Venice, France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire. The obelisk at left, decorated with medallions and heraldic devices, reinforces the title page’s concern with dynastic history, political authority, and the ordering of Europe through historical knowledge.

See also related Châtelain material in the collection 247, 248, 249, 250, and 353.