1840 Brué and Picquet Gentleman's Rosewood Map Cabinet w/12 maps
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Caiser Géographique.
Beautifully crafted map cabinet for the gentleman's library.
Beautifully crafted map cabinet for the gentleman's library.
The Caiser Géographique or 'Geographical Locker' was issued by Charles Picquet and A. Brue. This wall mountable atlas is constructed of solid rosewood with masterful brass inlay. The box contains six spring loaded pulls, each attached to two maps, for a total of 12 maps. The maps are mounted on linen and can be pulled out and returned to the case by turning little wooden knobs on the right side of the case.The Caiser Géographique was a somewhat unique cartographic innovation. It was designed with fine woods and exceptional workmanship to grace the gentleman's library. To our knowledge, only Brue/Picquet issued these cabinets. The earliest appeared around 1820 in somewhat baroque French Empire sthle. The present example, with brass inlay and a more streamlined ethic, appears to have been issued in 1840 based upon the dating of the individual maps.
The maps were designed by Adrien-Hubert Brué and Charles Picquet. They are all dated 1840 and reflect the most recent geography. The North America map, for example has been updated to include the Republic of Texas. In general, the maps are in good condition, with some chipping to a few, and some staining to the North America map, as seen here. We are aware of only 2 other surviving examples, both in private hands.
Cartographers
Adrien-Hubert Brué (March 20, 1786 – July 16, 1832) was a prominent French cartographer and geographer of the early 19th century. Born in Paris, Brué went to sea as a cabin boy at the age of twelve and, at fourteen, joined the Naturaliste, one of the two principal vessels of the Baudin Expedition (1800 - 1804) to the South Pacific. After returning to France, he devoted himself to cartography, earning distinction for the exceptional clarity, precision, and elegance of his maps. Brué drew many of his maps directly onto the copperplate, an innovative method he dubbed encyprotype. This technique produced exceptionally fine outlines, facilitated the careful revision of topography and relief, and allowed waterways to be differentiated by the weight of their engraved lines, making their relative importance immediately apparent. Brué eventually received the prestigious title Géographe du Roi, which he frequently appended to his signature, and in that capacity contributed to thousands of maps and numerous important atlases. Suffering from declining health, he retired to Sceaux, outside Paris, in search of cleaner air, but died there during the cholera epidemic of 1832. He was a member of the Central Commission of the Société de Géographie de Paris and an associate of the Geographical Society of London. Brué left numerous works unfinished at his death; several were published posthumously by his widow in 1834, before she transferred the business to Pierre-Jacques Picquet, son and successor of Brué's former associate Charles Picquet (1771 - 1827). Brué's maps continued to be revised and republished for decades, attesting to their enduring authority and commercial importance. Further Details...
Charles Picquet (April 15, 1771 – January 15, 1827) was a French cartographer active in Paris during the Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic Eras. Picquet was born in Romagna-sous-Montfaucon, Meuse, France. From about 1798 Picquet supplied maps to the Dépôt de la Guerre. From 1806 he was appointed to Napoleon's Cabinet Topographique. Being politically dexterous, he was able to retain this position after the fall of Napoleon under both Louis XVIII and Charles X. Under Louis XVIII he also obtained the Brevet de Géographe Ordinaire du Cabinet Topographique. He worked with the cartographer Adrien-Hubert Brué (1787 - 1832) on a major atlas project. When Charles Picquet died in 1827, his son, Pierre-Jacques Picquet, continued to publish under his father's imprint name well into the middle part of the 19th century. From roughly 1839, one J. Barthelemier also claimed to be the 'seul acquéreur et successor' of the 'ancienne maison Ch. Picquet' though it is unclear if he succeeded the younger Picquet or challenged his claim to succession. Barthelemier only published maps infrequently until the late 1850s, after which he maintained a more steady output until the early-mid 1870s. Further Details...
Condition
Very good. Small piece of top molding missing, upper left side. Maps vary in condition with some exhibiting staining and light chipping, but all are intact and on their original linen. Some of the spring mechanisms need minor adjusting, but still work.