Plan de Paris

by Louis Bretez / Michel-Étienne Turgot

About this artwork

The magnificent Turgot map of Paris, showing the city in stunning bird's-eye perspective. This monumental work depicts every building, street, garden, and monument in Paris with extraordinary detail. The map shows Paris before Haussmann's 19th-century renovations, preserving the medieval street pattern. Major landmarks including Notre-Dame, the Louvre, and the Tuileries Gardens are rendered in three-dimensional perspective. The Seine River flows through the center with its bridges and islands. Decorative cartouches feature allegorical figures representing Paris. The map required years of surveying and drawing, representing the pinnacle of 18th-century urban cartography. Each building is individually depicted, making this an invaluable historical record.