Hand Colored 1636 Print, Map of Valance, from 'Les plans et profils de toutes les principales villes et lieux considerables de France'

A 7 x 9 3/4 sheet professionally matted down to 4 3/4 x 6 3/4 (mat measures 8 1/2 x 10 5/8). Beautiful modern hand coloring added. Labeled 10 in the upper right-hand corner. Valance is a commune in southeastern France. The print shows a fortification positioned along the north bank of a natural waterway. Smaller streams run south and empty into the river -- one of these flanks the southwest curtain wall, while another runs southeast through the fortification itself. The main gatehouse lies along the east wall. The shapes of the walls illustrate the star-shaped patterns common to this era, an adaptation made to allow for defensive canonry, and to protect against siege artillery.