Delflandia, Schielandia et circumjacentes Insulae by Nicholas Visscher

Code: 54433

Date: Circa 1690

Long title: Delflandia, Schielandia et circumjacentes Insulae ut Voorna, Overflackea, Goerea, Yselmonda et aliae.  Detailed map of Southern Holland, which includes the cities of The Hague (Gravenhage), Rotterdam, Willemstad, Gouda and Delft. With a dedication to Jacob a Dussen by Nicolaas Visscher II.   Title in banner form supported by putti.  Dedication bottom left surmounted by putti holding coat of arms.  Two scale of distance top left , the waterways are filled with ships and in the Mare Germanicum the ships are throwing up clouds of spray as they advance.  Copper engraving with original hand colouring.  Overall sheet size:62 cms x 51.9 cms; image size: 556mm x 460mm.  Overall toning and some spotts to margin. Old manuscript ink number 6 top right. Some very faint spotting to blank area I Volcke Rack and a couple of spots in the title cartouche ; centrefold as published and one other fold to the left of this (faint) else a very detailed map in good condition .

For nearly a century the members of the Visscher family were important art dealers and map publishers in Amsterdam. The founder of the business, C. J. Visscher, had premises near to those of Pieter van den Keere and Jodocus Hondius whose pupil he may have been.

From about 1620 he designed a number of individual maps, including one of the British Isles, but his first atlas consisted of maps printed from plates bought from van den Keere and issued as they stood with some additions of his own, including historical scenes of battles and sieges for which he had a high reputation. Some maps bear the latinized form of the family name: Piscator.

After Visscher's death his son and grandson, both of the same name, issued a considerable number of atlases, constantly revised and brought up to date . The widow of Nicholaes Visscher II carried on the business until it finally passed into the hands of Pieter Schenk.