A very rare separately published map of Florence and the surrounding region of Tuscany originally published by Christophe Tassin (d.1660) in ‘Les Cartes Generale de Toutes les Provinces de France’, 1634. It is particularly unusual in that the plate is one of a four-sheet map entitled ‘Carte La Partie occidentale d’Italie’ which lacks a title. Here a separately engraved title cartouche is printed on the map to enable separate publication. A later issue by Nicolas Berey survives in the British Library (BL K.Top.75.72). Tassin was a French Royal Engineer by training before becoming a mapmaker.

After a short career producing atlases of the France and surrounding countries, he sold all his copperplates to Nicolas Berey and Antoine de Fer in 1644 for a reputed 3,500 livres. Nicolas Berey (c.1606-65) was originally a seller of topographical views and maps in Paris. He appears to have opened a shop in 1639 and then joined Antoine de Fer to buy material from Christophe Tassin. Pastoureau (1984) Tassin II A, no. 53; Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004).