35 x 47, with three inset maps, 12 x 9, 20 x 6, and 10 x 5 (centimeters, height x width)
Notes:
This is one of a series of maps in the collection promoting the food and wine of France. The wide-spread dark brown areas on the map are those of wine production, many specifically named in detail (for example, “Crus Haut Medoc” and “Crus Sauternes” in Bordeaux). The hundreds of round “wheel” symbols denote production of cheeses: blue for sheep’s milk (“brebis”), yellow for goat’s milk (“chèvre”), and brown for cow’s milk (“vache”). There are two small-scale inset maps showing the specific wine-producing villages and regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy, and a third showing the wine and cheese producing regions of Corsica.
The title of the map and the scene at the lower left references the imaginary medieval utopia known as Cockaigne in English, a place of unrestricted liberties and luxuries, the dream of every peasant. Indolence, ready sex, drunkenness and gluttony were the mythical nation’s watchwords; among other things, cheeses fell from the sky like rain.
England is labeled the Land of Tea Drinkers; Belgium the Land of Beer Drinkers; Germany the Kingdom of Sauerkraut; Switzerland the Land of Milk Drinkers; Italy the Land of Pasta Eaters; and Spain the Land of Spice Eaters.
The collection includes five versions of French "Carte Gastronomique," spanning a period of more than 150 years: ID #1033, (1809); ID #2165 (1847); ID #2153 (1923); ID #2215 (1932) and ID #2344 (1963). It also includes four classroom pictorial maps ("Carte Economique") demonstrating the important role of food and wine in French life, ID ##2028.01-.02 (1960) and ID ##2035.01-02 (1964).
