Alexis-Hubert Jaillot, born circa 1632 in Paris, is one of the most influential figures in the history of French cartography. A gifted cartographer and engraver, Jaillot’s work left an indelible mark on the evolution of mapmaking during the late 17th century. His maps, highly regarded for their precision, craftsmanship, and aesthetic qualities, continue to be sought after by collectors and historians alike. This article provides an exploration of Jaillot’s life, his education, and his key works.
Jaillot was born in Franche-Comte, and seriously trained as a sculptor in his youth. In 1657 he followed his older brother Simon to Paris. The brothers were known to have a close relationship, and Simon was both a sculptor and a painter to whom the title of Royal Sculptor had been awarded by King Louis XIV.
The auspicious marriage of Alexis Hubert to Jeanne Berey, the daughter of cartographer, artist, map colorist, publisher, and seller Nicholas Berey, resulted on the death of his father-in-law in Jaillot’s inheriting the well-established and lucrative map and print publishing firm where Jaillot himself had been honing his talents. Thus, on the death of Nicolas Sanson, the premier French map maker of the era, Jaillot 's firm was in a solid financial position, enabling him to be able to negotiate an agreement with the heirs of Sanson to republish much of Sanson’s oeuvre.
It was a fortuitous time to be in Paris as France was, under the reign of Louis XIV, witnessing an acceleration of the arts and sciences under the reign of the Sun King, whose rule spanned seven decades. His reign ushered in an epochal time of rapid advancement, of progress which would result in France taking the place of the Dutch in the world of cartography and publishing, advances which impacted all phases of academic endeavour.
The country’s economy stabilized as it became better organized. The colonization efforts in the New World and Asia resulted in commerce which enabled the expansion of the bourgeois and greatly enriched the upper classes. Royal patronage of the arts and sciences increased, attracting many of Europe’s most erudite in the fields of science and maths, along with many of its finest artisans and publishers. Baroque art and architecture soon came to symbolize French wealth, sophistication, and power. This surge served to propel France to a position of leadership in many fields, including cartography.
On the death of his wife Jeanne Berey Jaillot in 1676, Jaillot became a single parent of seven children, and the owner of the business and property, which consisted of a three-storey structure containing a studio, shop, and residence. He remarried in the same year and, with his new wife Charlotte Orbane, gradually increased the number of his progeny to fifteen children.
On inheriting the Berey complex, called Aux Deux Globes, Jaillot registered it in his own name and that of his brother Simon. In 1669 Guilliame Sanson, son of renowned cartographer Nicolas Sanson, approached Jaillot with the idea of republishing the works of his late father. A partnership was established with the sons of Sanson, and in the same year Jaillot began reengraving and often enlarging many of Sanson’s original maps. By the time the firm of Blaeu was destroyed by the great fire in Amsterdam in 1672, the new joint enterprise was able to fill most of the gap in map production left by Blaeu’s catastrophic loss. This enterprise was a successful collaboration which would endure for two decades, till 1689.
Jaillot’s work earned him a prominent place among French aristocracy and European royalty. He came to be associated with some of the most influential figures of the time, including King Louis XIV of France, for whom he served as Royal Geographer. These relationships with nobility across Europe, including England, helped bolster his own reputation and allowed him to secure lucrative commissions. Notable patrons included the French Royal Cour, aristocrats from various countries, and wealthy noblemen who sought to own precise, accurate maps for both personal and military purposes. This map of the Holy Land (1696) is representative of Jaillot’s reworking of an original Sanson map.
Below is the first state of a Jaillot-Sanson work (1693), a large boldly engraved map of England and Wales. The map is based on Sanson’s cartography, thus he is credited in the title cartouche. The glorious title cartouche is composed of trumpeting angels and mermen with the royal coat of arms, flags, and military implements. The cartouche enclosing the scale of distance is also beautiful and masterfully done.
The most important publication of the Jaillot-Sanson partnership was the Atlas Nouveau of 1681. Work on the atlas was undertaken as early as 1670, with the hope of publishing it in 1674. However, the Sansons did not deliver the maps in a timely fashion, thus the delay in publishing. The arrangement between them was that maps would be provided by the Sansons and that Jaillot would be responsible for the engraving of plates, for publishing of the atlas, and for the marketing of it. This monumental work included over 80 maps, covering a wide range of geographical areas, from Europe and the Americas to parts of Asia and Africa. His maps were unique for their clarity, the use of decorative elements, and for incorporating the latest geographical discoveries, including those from explorers of the age of expansion. In 1686, Alexis Hubert Jaillot was named as the first Royal Geographer to King Louis XIV, for the publication of this atlas.
Jaillot’s most enduring contributions are his atlases. The Atlas Nouveau, which went through multiple editions, remains one of the most comprehensive cartographic works of the period. The atlas was updated several times, reflecting new geographical knowledge and discoveries, and continued to be an important resource for explorers and military strategists. Jaillot published a total of four major atlases, with numerous editions, each expanding on the maps of earlier works. His maps remain rare, with surviving copies often found in major libraries and private collections.