"Prima Pars Brabantiae cuius caput Lovanium".

JANSSONIUS-WAESBURGHER, Jan; PITT, Moses; SWART, Steven.

Edité par Oxford: Jansonnius - Pitt - Swart, c.1680.

A propos de cet article

Single sheet (22 ¼ x 19 ½) Full margins showing the plate mark. (Light foxing, repair on verso). This elegant hand-colored map of the Duchy of Brabant centered on Leuven and Tienen. Around the title cartouche nine shields for the town coat of arms, that of Tienen left blank. Standing next to the cartouche is the Greek god Apollo, playing the harp and the sun shining brightly behind him. The coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant crown the top of the map. The left side cartouche containing the scale of miles balances out the map, with a curious interaction between a male and female figure. The woman holding cartographic tools and an atlas could perhaps be Elizabeth Verseyl, the late Nicolaes Visscher s wife. The earliest mention of Leuven ("Loven") is from 891, when a Viking army was defeated by the Frankish king Arnulf of Carinthia (see: Battle of Leuven). According to a legend the city's red and white arms depict the blood-stained shores of the river Dyle after this battle. Situated beside this river, and near to the stronghold of the Dukes of Brabant, Leuven became the most important centre of trade in the duchy between the 11th and 14th centuries. A token of its former importance as a centre of cloth manufacture is shown in that ordinary linen cloth is known in late-14th-century and 15th-century texts as lewyn (other spellings: Leuwyn, Levyne, Lewan(e), Lovanium, Louvain). In the 15th century a new golden era began with the founding of what is now the largest and oldest university in the Low Countries, the Catholic University of Leuven, in 1425. The Atlas Minor is a fine and comprehensive composite atlas, and one of a series of large atlases compiled and sold by the Visscher family of art dealers and cartographers in the 17th century. Founded by Nicholas Visscher, this work is known for the high quality of engraving, exceptionally fine ornament, and accurate geographical information. No two of the Visscher atlases seem to have been identical in content, and most contain, like this one, a selection of maps by the Visschers themselves as well as other cartographers. In this case the majority of the maps are published by Visscher. In addition to the striking world map by Allard with its black background and numerous projections, and found in the "Atlas Major" from about 1705, there are maps of the continents, regional maps of Europe, ten maps of Asia, and seven maps related to America. For more information on this map, or a warm welcome to see other maps and books of our collection at 72nd Street NYC, please contact Natalie Zadrozna.

N° de réf. du vendeur 72NZ118

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: "Prima Pars Brabantiae cuius caput Lovanium".
• Éditeur: Oxford: Jansonnius - Pitt - Swart, c.1680.
• Reliure: Couverture rigide
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Atlases & Rare Maps