Pierre Lapie (1777 or 1779 – 1850) & Alexandre Emile Lapie (1809 – 1871)
were French cartographers and engravers. Not much is known about the youth of father and son. The Lapies were commissioned officers in the French Army holding the ranks of Colonel and Capitan, respectively. Alexandre enjoyed the title „Premier Graveur du Roi“. Working separately and jointly they published four important atlases: 1811 „Atlas Empire Francais“ (Alexandre), 1812 „Atlas Classique et Universel“ (Pierre), 1829 „Atlas Universel de Geographie Ancienne et Moderne“ (joint issue) and 1848 „Atlas Militaire“ (Alexandre). They also issued smaller maps and independent works. All of these are of exceptional beauty and detail but the work of the Lapies remains underappreciated by most map historians and collectors.
Map Details
DESCRIPTION
This scarce map is from Pierre Lapie‘s work „Atlas Classique Et Universel De Geographie Ancienne Et Moderne: compose pour l’instruction de la jeunesse et notamment pour les ecoles militaires et les lycees par P. Lapie, A Paris 1812.“
The names of the engravers Adam et Giraldon are placed underneath the neatline.
An oval cartouche in the lower right corner contains the title, the author: „Dressee Par P. Lapie, Geographe“ and the year: 1810. To the left are two distance scales („Echelles“). The map shows Scandinavia, the western part of Russia („Empire Russie“), the Baltic region, Prussia („Prusse“), the northern part of Germany and the Netherlands („Hollande“), including Iceland („Islande“) and the Faroe Islands („Iles Faeroe“) in two separate insets in the upper left corner.
In the main part of the map numerous place-names are to be found but with regard to Iceland there are many along the coastline and only very few in the interior, amongst them the bishoprics Skalholt and Holar, written correctly without church symbols. The volcano Hekla is only named.
The Arctic Circle („Cercle Polaire Arctique“) is drawn nearly correctly but in Iceland a bit too far south.