Gomboust, Jacques (fl. c. 1650 - 1670)

Jacques Gomboust (fl. c. 1650 - 1670) was a French cartographer and surveyor active in Paris in the middle part of the 17th century. Gomboust held the position of Ingenieur du Roi under Louis XIV, the Sun King. During his tenure in this position, Gomboust produced a number of important views and plans, most of French cities. He is best known for his magnificent 1652 wall map of Paris. This map, considered the first geometric survey of Paris, represents a fundamental turning point in urban cartography and in the perception of maps in general. In abandoning the "view" format for a more contemporary top down presentation, Gomboust initiated a new "godlike" way of looking at the world that was, in his day, entirely revolutionary. The influence of this important work cannot be underestimated.