Detail of the Ile de la Cité, from the map of Paris c. 1540, known...

Together with the map of Sebastian Münster and the 'Plan de la Gouache', this is one of the oldest plans of Paris. The original map was woven as a tapestry c. 1571 for Cardinal Charles de Bourbon (1523-90). In 1571 he was made Lieutenant-General of Paris and Ile de France and his heraldic arms are displayed here. Later the tapestry passed to the Guise family and was kept at the Hôtel de Clisson. The tapestry disappeared during the French Revolution but a copy had been made for the French antiquary, François de Gaignières (1642-1715) écuyer (equerry) to Louis Joseph, duke of Guise (1650-71). This map also shows the Ile Notre-Dame and the Ile aux Vaches before their development in the 17th century to form the Ile Saint-Louis;