The Delisle Map of the Gulf Coast, by Christoph Weigel (1654-1725), "Novissima Tabula Regionis Ludovicianae Gallice dictae la Louisiane", 1734, Nuremberg, copper-plated engraved map, hand-colored, on laid paper. The cartouche depicts two gentlemen negotiating over a chest of gold coins and refers to the infamous collapse of the Mississippi Bubble in 1720, caused by the failure of John Law's bankrupt Compagnie de la Louisiane d'Occident. The Delisle Map became one of the most influential maps of North America in the first decades of the 1700s, as it was designed specifically for political and financial objectives. The map helped establish inflated claims by the French to vast tracts of new land in the Americas, invalidating English claims, and setting the stage for the French and Indian War (1756-63). The Delisle Map, considered a persuasive or promotional tool rather than a navigational map, was instrumental in the first state-sponsored bank fraud, known as the Mississippi Bubble, orchestrated by John Law in 1720. The French Treasury, depleted by years of war, didn't have the resources to control the territory, but managed to print and sell shares (the first paper money) for the Mississippi Company that led to financial ruin throughout France. [13 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches; Matted: 21 x 25 inches].