1660 Nicolas Berey View Map of Paris, France

This is the only known example of Nöel Cochin and Nicolas Berey's 1660 view of Paris - the earliest known large-format view of Paris published in Paris (an earlier large view was issued in Amsterdam). This view is likely a proof state or perhaps a study for a larger view of the same issued two years later in 1662 (c.f. Boutier #105).

A Closer Look

The panoramic view looks southeast on Paris from Charonne to the northwest, part of the modern-day 20th Arrondissement, located just south of the famous Cimetière du Père-Lachaise. Coverage extends from the Faubourg and Abbaye de Saint-Antoine in the southeast to the hills of Montmartre in the northwest.

Prominent landmarks visible in the scene, moving from left to right, include:

• Faubourg Saint-Antoine
• Faubourg Saint-Marceau
• Les Cordeliers
• Faubourg Saint-Jacques
• The Bastille
• Former cathedral of Saint-Étienne
• The Sorbonne
• Notre-Dame
• Church of Saint-Gervais
• The Louvre
• Old Grosse Tour of the Temple
• Montmartre

Most visually dominant and the key point of orientation, at the center of the image, is the towering Notre-Dame Cathedral, seen from the rear, with its famous flying buttresses recognizable. Beyond the city, the southern hills are dotted with settlements such as Montrouge, all of which have since been incorporated into urban Paris.

In the foreground are lively illustrations of Parisian aristocrats, merchants, and citizens enjoying leisure time in the rural outskirts. In a nod of acknowledgment to Matthäus Merian (1593 - 1650), whose 1638 view Parys doubtless inspired this much grander work, Cochin follows suit and incorporates himself among those in the foreground, a seated artist sketching this very image.

Publication History and Census

This view was engraved and printed in 1660. As such, it must be considered the first large-scale view of Paris printed in Paris. The view was drawn by Noël Cochin and published by Nicolas Berey, likely the elder. Scratch marks and plate haze suggest this is an early strike off the plate, and in fact, the blank rectangular floral frame in the upper right strongly suggests it is an incomplete proof - typically, there would be a dedication here. This is further underscored by this piece's unique rarity, this being the only known example. Berey reintroduced the image in a new double-sized, though more crudely engraved, plate in 1662, with an elaborate surround. Although also rare, that larger view is known in 3 states and about 6 examples, making it, compared to the present view, relatively common.