Carte de la Georgie et Des Pays Situes Entre La Mer Noire et La Mer Caspienne is Paolo Santini’s refined 1775 vision of the Caucasus, a crossroads where empires, mountains, and maritime corridors converge. Working in the high Enlightenment tradition, Santini harnesses the clarity of French scientific cartography to render Georgia, Armenia, and the lands bridging the Black and Caspian Seas with uncommon precision. Finely drawn river systems, shaded mountain chains, and carefully tiered place-names knit together a region long navigated by merchants, diplomats, and soldiers. Colored outlines articulate shifting frontiers, while the dense web of towns and early roads captures the lived geography—how people moved, traded, and governed—during a decade when the balance of power from Erzurum to Baku was poised to change.

Santini, a Venetian savant and one of the most accomplished engravers of his generation, drew deeply on the legacy of Guillaume De L’Isle, whose rigorous geography set the standard for accuracy earlier in the century. Rather than merely copying, Santini updates and re-weights De L’Isle’s template with fresh intelligence from travelers, consuls, and commercial correspondents, then translates that knowledge into an elegant, readable surface. The result harmonizes Italian printcraft with French precision: place-names are legible yet abundant, relief is expressive but never cluttered, and borders are clarified without sacrificing nuance. In the 1770s, as his atlas projects matured, Santini stood at the nexus of scholarship and commerce—exactly the vantage required to chart a region so consequential and contested.

The map’s physical geography is composed with a draughtsman’s tact. The Greater and Lesser Caucasus rise in textured hachures, a visual logic that guides the eye from the Black Sea’s embayed littoral at Trabzon and Batumi across the high passes to the Caspian shelf around Baku and Lankaran. Rivers—most notably the Kura (Mtkvari), Rioni, and Araxes—thread valleys and plains with sinuous fidelity, their confluences hinting at natural corridors and political boundaries alike. Lakes such as Sevan and Van anchor the uplands, while the coastal shelves, estuaries, and capes are traced with maritime sensitivity. This is a map that reads as a relief: watersheds dictate routes; ridgelines create frontiers; and the stepwise shading makes the topography both intelligible and compelling.

Equally rich is the human landscape. Santini inscribes a hierarchy of settlements—Tbilisi and Kutaisi in Georgia; Yerevan and Gyumri in Armenia; Baku, Ganja, and Lankaran in Azerbaijan; Erzurum, Artvin, and Trabzon in Anatolia—each situated within its natural frame of river, road, and range. Early roads stitch these nodes into trading circuits, from Black Sea ports eastward to Caspian entrepôts, and through interior passes that long funneled silk, grain, and imperial dispatches. The cartographic symbology gives texture to governance: colored outlines mark Georgian kingdoms and principalities, Ottoman sanjaks, and Persian-aligned khanates, while the spacing of towns and posting routes hints at administrative density. Even without overt commentary, the map narrates how terrain shapes power and commerce.

Issued in the immediate aftermath of the 1768–1774 Russo–Turkish War, the map captures a geopolitical hinge. Russian ambitions press southward toward the Caucasus; the Georgian crown maneuvers between guardianship and autonomy; Armenian uplands and Azeri khanates balance Persian suzerainty with local realities; Ottoman strongholds in Erzurum and the Pontic hinterland hold their lines. Santini encodes these tensions in the clean grammar of Enlightenment cartography, showing borders as propositions rather than absolutes and roads as instruments of influence. For the eighteenth-century observer—and the modern connoisseur—this sheet is both geographic and diagnostic: a lucid portrait of terrain and a subtle register of power, trade, and the enduring logic of the land between two seas.

Cities and towns on this map

• Tbilisi
• Kutaisi
• Batumi
• Yerevan
• Gyumri
• Vanadzor
• Baku
• Ganja
• Lankaran
• Trabzon
• Artvin
• Erzurum

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Rivers: Numerous rivers are illustrated, often with intricate detailing.
• Mountains: The elevation is represented with hachures or shading to indicate physical geography.
• Lakes: Various lakes are depicted with collective cartographic symbols.
• Borders: Colored outlines to show the delineation of different territories.
• Towns: Several towns are labeled, contributing to the spatial understanding of the region.
• Roads: Early roads are indicated, showcasing trade routes.

Historical and design context

• Creation Date: 1775
• Mapmaker: Paolo Santini
• Origin and Influence: Based on an earlier map by Guillaume De L'Isle, showcasing the intricate details of the region.
• Scope: A finely detailed representation of Georgia, Armenia, and territories between the Black and Caspian Seas, also including parts of modern Turkey and Azerbaijan.
• Design Style: Characterized by delicate engravings and colored outlines, typical of cartographic works during this era.
• Historical Significance: One of the most detailed maps of the region at the time, reflecting the political and physical landscapes and the importance of trade routes and geography in shaping perceptions of these territories.

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 100in (250cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

Alcune delle mie vecchie mappe sono ora disponibili come tele incorniciate. Per favore contattami se desideri ordinare una dimensione che non è disponibile nel mio negozio.

Le vecchie mappe su tela sono un'alternativa interessante alle mappe incorniciate in modo convenzionale. A seconda del tuo gusto personale e dell'arredamento della stanza, le mappe su tela possono "risaltare" un po' di più rispetto a una mappa incorniciata.

Scopri di più sulle mie mappe su tela incorniciate.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

Se non sei soddisfatto del tuo ordine per qualsiasi motivo, contattami per un rimborso senza problemi. Si prega di consultare la nostra politica di reso e rimborso per ulteriori informazioni.

Sono molto sicuro che ti piacerà la tua mappa restaurata o la stampa d'arte. Lo faccio dal 1984. Sono un venditore Etsy a 5 stelle. Ho venduto decine di migliaia di mappe e stampe d'arte e ho oltre 5.000 recensioni reali a 5 stelle.

Utilizzo un processo unico per restaurare mappe e opere d'arte che richiede molto tempo e lavoro. Trovare le mappe e le illustrazioni originali può richiedere mesi. Utilizzo tecnologia all'avanguardia e incredibilmente costosa per scannerizzare e restaurarle. Di conseguenza, garantisco che le mie mappe e stampe d'arte siano superiori alle altre - ecco perché posso offrire un rimborso senza problemi.

Quasi tutte le mie mappe e stampe d'arte sembrano fantastiche a grandi dimensioni (200 cm, 6,5 piedi+) e posso anche incorniciarle e consegnarle a te, tramite un corriere speciale per oggetti di grandi dimensioni. Contattami per discutere delle tue esigenze specifiche.