Jean-Baptiste Nolin

Jean Baptiste Nolin (c. 1657–1708) was one of the most commercially successful map publishers in late 17th-century Paris, operating from premises on the Quai de l’Horloge — the hub of the Parisian map trade. Trained as an engraver under François de Poilly, he came to the attention of Vincenzo Coronelli, whose maps he engraved and published, and built a prolific output that drew heavily on the geographic work of Coronelli and the amateur geographer Jean Nicolas du Tralage (Sieur de Tillemon).

Nolin was a shrewd self-promoter who claimed titles — including “Engraver to the King” and “Geographer to the Duke of Orléans” — that he did not always legitimately hold, and his business acumen was considerable; while many of his contemporaries struggled financially, Nolin prospered. His best-known independent production is the monumental Le Globe Terrestre of 1700, a world map measuring 125 by 140 centimeters. The publishing house passed to his son, Jean Baptiste Nolin the Younger (1686–1762), who continued the business for several decades.