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This late 18th-century map offers a detailed depiction of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth during the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski (1732–1798), the last King and Grand Duke of the Commonwealth. The map highlights the extensive territories of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, presenting key political and geographical features just prior to the partitions that dismantled the Commonwealth by 1795.
The map employs meticulous engraving to represent the complex network of rivers, cities, fortifications, and administrative boundaries within the Commonwealth. The Baltic Sea (Mare Balticum) dominates the northern section, while the eastern frontier stretches toward Tartaria Mo. (Tartary). Regional names such as Prussia, Mazovia, Samogitia, and Volhynia are prominently labeled.
At the bottom of the map, a highly ornate cartouche features allegorical figures, including a cartographer and a scholar, symbolizing knowledge and exploration. The central shield below the cartouche displays the heraldic arms of Stanisław August Poniatowski, emphasizing the map’s dedication to the Polish monarch.
Stanisław August Poniatowski’s reign (1764–1795) marked a tumultuous period for the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. While he is remembered as a patron of the arts and a reformer, his rule coincided with the progressive weakening of the Commonwealth and its eventual partitions by neighboring powers—Russia, Prussia, and Austria. This map reflects a time when the Commonwealth was still a significant political entity, just before its territorial disintegration.
Tobias Conrad Lotter (1717-1777) is one of the best-known German mapmakers of the eighteenth century. He engraved many of the maps published by Matthaus Seutter, to whose daughter Lotter was married. He took over Seutter’s business in 1756. Lotter’s son, M. A. Lotter, succeeded his father in the business.
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