Complete exhibition of the Cassini map: a world first!
A year ago, I made an exceptional acquisition: a complete collection of Cassini's map, an 18th-century cartographic treasure. For the first time, all 181 original maps, representing more than 160 m², will be exhibited in their entirety. This exhibition will be held on Sunday, September 21, 2025, in Bouxières-aux-Chênes, in Meurthe-et-Moselle.
An exceptional acquisition of the Cassini map
In December 2024, incredible news reached me: a complete collection of Cassini's map was put up for sale.
Driven by the success of my previous project, The 587 Map Challenge, I decided to try my luck. And, against all odds, I won the auction!
The 587 Maps Challenge
This acquisition is exceptional: complete collections of Cassini's map are extremely rare. The last comparable sale was in 2016.
The set includes 181 sheets of the General Map of France, known as Cassini, carefully folded and lined with period gray canvas. Each piece is stored in 15 elegant cardboard slipcases covered with midnight blue marbled paper, reinforced with green vellum and equipped with an ingenious side opening system. The whole is housed in a compartmentalized wooden trunk.
Exhibition: see you on September 21, 2025
Just a few days after sharing this rare acquisition with my clients, one of them contacted me. Passionate about antique maps and deeply involved in the life of his village, he suggested we organize the first complete exhibition of the Cassini map.
The project is taking shape in Bouxières-aux-Chênes, in Meurthe-et-Moselle.
And this is a first: never before have the 181 assembled maps been exhibited to the public in their entirety. In total, nearly 160 m² of old maps will be displayed in the village hall.
A unique moment to discover this cartographic masterpiece, the fruit of decades of work and scientific innovations in the 18th century.
See you on Sunday, September 21, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Bouxières-aux-Chênes community center!
And of course, I'm not going to stop there!
The Bouxières-aux-Chênes exhibition is just the first step. My ambition is clear: to take this exceptional map on a journey and enable as many people as possible to discover the beauty and ingenuity of the Cassinis' work.
Paris, Brussels, Rome, or why not New York: I dream of seeing this collection exhibited throughout the world because it reflects History, Geography, Science and Art all at once.
But in the meantime, I invite those who wish to attend to meet me on Sunday, September 21st in Bouxières-aux-Chênes! For more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
