Antique Hand-Colored Map of the Frisian City of IJlst, The Netherlands, 1649

Antique print titled 'Slooten - Ylst - Worcum - Hinloopen'. Three plans and a bird's eye view on one sheet. The plans show the Frisian cities Sloten, IJlst, Workum and the view shows...

Antique print, titled: 'Bolswaert' - (Town plan of Bolsward). Plan of Bolsward in Friesland, the Netherlands. A cartouche and two coats of arms. From the town atlas 'Toneel der S...

Antique map titled 'Staveren'. Original antique map of the city of Stavoren, Friesland, The Netherlands. This map originates from 'Toonneel der Steden van de Vereenighde Nederlanden'...

Antique map titled 'Franekera'. Old map of the city of Franeker, Friesland. Also shows two cartouches, coats of arms and legend. This map originates from a Latin edition of the t...

This is a 16th century original hand-colored copperplate engraved map of Tournai, Belgium, entitled "Tornacum" by Georg Braun & Franz Hogenberg, in volume IV of their famous city atlas "Civitates Orbis Terrarum", published in Cologne or Augsberg, Germany in 1575. The map provides a bird's-eye view of the walled city of Tournai, the second oldest city in Belgium. It lies approximately one hour by car southwest of Brussels or from Ghent. The names of thirty of its streets, prominent buildings, churches and squares are listed in a key within a strap-work cartouche in the lower left. These locations are numbered in the key corresponding to their locations on the map. This colorful map of Tournai (Tornacum or Tournay as it was called in the 16th century) includes the title in Latin in a cartouche in the upper center. Three crests are present across the upper map. A man and two woman are standing on a hill in the foreground in the lower right dressed in the style of 16th century upper class residents of the town. This is an English translation of an excerpt of Braun's description of Tornai: “Tornacum or Turnacum is a city in Gallia Belgica, situated on the Schelde in the territory of the Nervii, called Tournai by its French inhabitants, but Dorneck by the Germans. Tournai has always been a large and powerful city, with an abundance of goods and commercial activities and wonderfully resourceful craftsmen, who invent new articles every day, and although some of these go out of use they constantly conceive of other new things, both useful and delightful, so that they have at all times something that provides work and a means of livelihood for the poor." ReferencesVan der Krogt 4, 4435, State 1; Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg...

This is a 16th century original hand-colored copperplate engraved map of a bird's-eye View of Embden, Germany entitled " Emuda, vulgo Embden vrbs Frisia orientalis primaria" by Georg Braun & Franz Hogenberg, in volume II of their famous city atlas "Civitates Orbis Terrarum", published in Cologne, Germany in 1575. This is a beautifully colored and detailed map of Emden, a seaport in northwestern Germany, along the Ems River and perhaps portions of over Dollart Bay, near the border with the Netherland. The map depicts a bird's-eye view of the city from the southwest, as well as a view of the harbor and an extensive system of canals. Numerous ships of various sizes, as well as two rowboats containing numerous occupants are seen in the main waterway in the foreground and additional boats line two canals in the center of the city. Two men and two women are shown on a hill in the foreground on the right, dressed in the 16th century style of nobility. Two ornate crests are included in each corner. A title strap-work cartouche is in the upper center with the title in Latin. The crest on the right including Engelke up de Muer (The Little Angel on the Wall) was granted by Emperor Maximilian I in 1495. This is an English translation of an excerpt of Braun's description of Embden: "In Emden, the capital of East Frisia, rich merchants live in very fine houses. The city has a broad and well-situated harbour, which in my opinion is unique in Holland. Frisia and the whole of the Netherlands, for the ships can anchor here right under the city walls. They have also extended the harbour as far as the New Town, so that up to 400 ships can now find shelter here when the sea is rough." The emphasis on the harbor and waterways within the city highlights the importance of Emden's place as a seaport at this time. Embden developed from a Dutch/Flemish trading settlement in the 7th-8th centuries into a city as late as late 14th century. In 1494 it was granted staple rights, and in 1536 the harbour was extended. In the mid-16th century Emden's port was thought to have the most ships in Europe. Its population then was about 5,000, rising to 15,000 by the end of the 16th century. The Ems River flowed directly under the city walls, but its course was changed in the 17th century by the construction of a canal. Emden has canals within its city limits, a typical feature of Dutch towns, which also enabled the extension of the harbor. In 1744 Emden was annexed by Prussia and is now part of Germany. It was captured by French forces in 1757 during the Seven Years' War, but recaptured by Anglo-German forces in 1758. During the Napoleonic French era, Emden and the surrounding lands of East Frisia were part of the short-lived Kingdom of Holland. References:Van der Krogt 4, 1230, State 2; Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg...

This map of Groninga is an original etching realized by George Braun and Franz Hogenberg, and part of the series "Civitates Orbis Terrarum". The state of preservation of the artwork...

This is an original hand-colored 17th century map of Belgium by Nicolaus (Nicolas) Visscher II entitled "Belgium Foederatum emendate auctum et novissime editum", published in Amsterdam in 1678. The map shows the seven provinces comprising the Belgium federation or the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands or the Dutch Republic as it was also known. The republic was formed when an alliance of seven Dutch provinces in the Spanish Netherlands revolted against rule by Spain in 1579 (the Union of Utrecht) and declared their independence in 1581 (the Act of Abjuration). The seven provinces were Groningen, Frisia, Overijssel, Guelders, Utrecht, Holland and Zeeland. This was a predecessor state to the Netherlands and the first fully independent Dutch nation state. Amsterdam, Delft, Rouen, Utrecht, Brugge, Ghent, and Antwerp are all included on the map. A small inset map in the lower right depicts the course of the Maas River from Maastricht to Wessem. There is a decorative cartouche in the upper left corner and a distance scale cartouche in the lower right corner. The map is presented in an attractive antiqued medium brown-colored wood frame with gold-colored inner and outer trim and a light tan-colored fabric mat. The frame measures 26.63" high by 30" wide by 0.75" deep. There is some darkening of the red areas in the map, presumably related to oxidation of the original iron containing pigment over time. There are also a few scattered spots. The map is otherwise in very good condition. The Visscher family were one of the great cartographic families of the 17th century. Begun by Claes Jansz Visscher...