Very rare and beautiful plate showing the 140 flags flown on ships from the four parts of the world in 1791. Due to its date of publication in 1791, it is a plate of great historical importance for France, because it is one of the first times that we see the French flag represented. Indeed, on October 24, 1790, the National Assembly decided that all French warships and commercial ships would carry a flag with three vertical bands: red near the flagpole, white in the center and this band would be wider than the others. , blue finally. The colors are inspired by the tricolor cockade of the Revolution, white representing the monarchy, blue and red, the city of Paris, sign of “the august and eternal alliance between the monarch and the people”. The vertical direction of colors is essential. Indeed, for a century already, the Dutch flag with its red, white and blue colors arranged horizontally has flown on all seas. The tricolor flag did not take its final form until February 15, 1794 (27 Pluviôse year II) when the National Convention decreed that the national flag “shall be formed of the three national colors, arranged in bands vertically, so that the blue is attached to the flag of the flag, the white in the middle and the red floating in the air. Legend has it that it was the painter Louis David who chose the order of colors. This plate also shows one of the first representations of American flags, including the flag of the American Congress, and the merchant flag of the United States of America. On each side of the title are three scenes of naval battles between France and Great Britain during the American War of Independence. The first of these battles was the Battle of Ouessant which took place on July 27, 1778, off the island of Ouessant. The scene shows three French ships, the Bretagne, the Ville de Paris and the Saint-Esprit, and two English ships, the Victoire and the Formidable. The second vignette illustrates the battle of Lisbon which took place on October 20, 1778, off the coast of Lisbon, as well as the battle of June 17, 1778 which pitted the French frigate Belle Poule against the English frigate Arethuse, off Roscoff, in the Channel. These three battles were won by France. In the lower part of the print there is a ship, sails lowered, with its table of legends, a ship, sails hoisted, with its table of legends in French and Spanish, and a large compass rose. Copy watercolored at the time. Small worm gallery at the level of the Venice and Savoy pavilions, larger worm gallery in the left and right margins. Traces of folds.