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This copperplate engraved map shows a bird's-eye view of Moscow during the 17th century, as part of Alain Manesson Mallet's Description de l'Univers, first published in Paris in 1683.
The city is depicted in a circular pattern, bounded by a fortified wall, with the Kremlin in the center, labeled "Cremenela". The map offers a detailed view of the city's layout, including streets, buildings, and surrounding fields, with some hills and farmlands illustrated in the outskirts.
In the foreground, a pastoral scene shows figures working the land with animals, adding a lively contrast to the detailed urban depiction. Above the map, a banner bears the title "Moscov" with decorative drapery.
Alain Mannesson Mallet (1630-1706) was a French mapmaker and engineer who served in the armies of Louis XIV. After rising through the ranks, Mallet was appointed as Inspector of Fortifications, a job which also required mathematical skills and which made him a competent military engineer. Eventually, he joined the court of Louis XIV at Versailles, where he taught math and focused on writing.
Mallet is best known for his Description de L’Univers, first published in 1683, in five volumes. A wide-ranging geographical work, the Description included textual descriptions of the countries of the world, as well as maps of the celestial sky and the ancient and modern worlds. The Description continued to be published until the early eighteenth century. He also published a work in three volumes on warfare (1684) and a primer on geometry (1702).
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