Les Estats de la Couronne de Castille. Castille Vielle, Leon, Gallice, Astrurie, Biscaie, Navarre

Scarce map of the northern part of Spain, including the Kingdom of Galicia, the Kingdom of León, Asturias, Vizcaya, the Kingdom of Navarre, “Castilla la Vieja” (the provinces of Logroño and Soria) and the northern part of “Castilla la Nueva”, including Madrid and Toledo. It was made by Nicolas Sanson d’Abbeville, official cartographer of the kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV of France, and founder of modern French cartography. Sanson’s maps are characterised by a clean style and great care in the selection of rigorous sources for their construction. With his work, Amsterdam lost its status as capital of cartography in favour of Paris. The map features the administrative outlines illuminated from the outset, highlighting its characteristic colours (green, yellow and brown, etc.). It was published in 1652, “with privilege of the king for twenty years”.