War of the Austrian Succession (1740-8)
Includes much of the mapping collected by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, as Captain General of the British army
Siege of Ypres, 1744
Plan / des / ATTAQUES / D'YPRES / en 1744
c.1759Etching and engraving; printed on paper; hand-coloured | Scale: 1:13,300 approx. | RCIN 729001.c
A detailed plan of the fortifications of Ypres, with the French attack works, coloured in yellow, on the north side. This fortress was one of three built by Vauban (the other two were Knocke and Furnes), which were designed to form an impassable wall to invaders from the south. The French had already taken Menen (RCIN 729001.b), the first obstacle to an army coming from the south, on 5 June. The French forces began the siege of Ypres on 15 June (see also RCIN 729018) and the town capitulated nine days later. They went on to take Knocke on 29 June (RCIN 729001.d), and Furnes fell to the French on 10 July (RCIN 729001.e, RCIN 729026). 'The vaunted fastnesses of Vauban were perishing like pricked bubbles, and the whole southern sector of maritime Flanders was in French hands.' (Browning 1995, p.173.)
From: l'Histoire des Conquêtes de LOUIS XV. by Pierre Du Mortous: Paris, de Lormel, 1759. This plate is one of 24 siege plans, stitched together with the general index map (RCIN 729001.a) at the beginning.
For further reading, see:
R. Browning, The War of the Austrian Succession, New York, 1995.
Condition: flat, no fold lines.
Pierre du Mortous (active 1750s) (author)
Jean-Geoffrey Striedbeck (1707-72) (engraver) [bottom right, below edge of border:] Striedbeck sculps. Argent.
? P de Lormel (active 1759-93) (publisher)
Watermark: The letter H below the letter S, a ‘4’ above the S
Condition: flat, no fold lines
Scale: 1:13,300 approx. Scale bar [44 mm =] 300 Toises.
20.6 x 29.6 cm (neatline)
21.7 x 30.0 cm (image)
22.4 x 31.4 cm (platemark)
24.5 x 39.9 cm (sheet)
Printed title:
Plan / des / ATTAQUES / D'YPRES / en 1744. [bottom left, in rococo cartouche]
Printed title:
Pl.2. [top right, above edge of border]
George III catalogue entry:
Netherlands Theatre de la derniere Guerre de Flandres, contenant une Carte generale et 24 Plans des Villes assiegées pendant les années 1744, 5, 6, 7 et 8. oblong 4.to
Subject(s)
Ieper, Flanders, Belgium (50°51'04"N 02°53'08"E)
Bibliographic reference(s)
R. Browning, The War of the Austrian Succession, New York, 1995.
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
