Guillaume Delisle’s Carte du Duché de Bougogne : the role of central and peripheral authorities in the costruction of a provincial territory in France in the early 18th century

During the last years of Louis XIV's reign, cartographic production in France experienced a moment of change involving both technical and symbolic levels. The development and diffusion of the work carried out by the Académie des Sciences, together with the increasing role of the provincial power toward the promotion of cartographic activities, lead to a favorable period for scientific innovation in the provincial context. The analysis of Guillaume Delisle's Carte du Duché de Bourgogne and the study of its preparatory work, allows one to outline a process of cartographic elaboration characterized by a fundamental role of the provincial elites. The acquisition of new skills will turn out to be important during the mapmaking of Burgundy in Cassini de Thury's Carte de France.