One  of  the  Most  Beautiful  Charts  by  Van  Keulen

Keulen, Gerard van (1678 Amsterdam 1726/7). The New Sea Map Chanell Betwext England et France. With explanation cartouche and ornamentally surrounded title-cartouche, fivefold miles indicator, current arrows, and two compass cards. Chart engraving 1 : 620.000 in Mercator’s projection printed from 2 plates. C. 1705. 60.3 x 100.9 cm.

Koeman, Keu 71, 13 (+ p. 375, II, Keulen 200); Phillips/LeGear 5693, 34. – Also comp. Koeman, Keu 24 + 29-32. – Indistinctly typographic watermark. – Title in Dutch-French-English-Spanish parallel text. – With fine, at the sides and below even up to 17 mm wide margin surrounding the 5 mm wide platemargin. – A slightly more severe waterstreak at the upper margin still reaching into the chart’s rim, a just weak one at the lower margin stretching nearly imperceptibly in a narrow strip c. 8.5 cm into the chart along the left fold. A short tiny wormhole of 3 mm backed acid-freely. Otherwise fine impression of rich contrast and well-preserved freshness.

Further entered as the two important sea battles at the beginning of the epoch of English-French wars the battle of Beachy Head of 1690, the one and only French victory, and the battle of Barfleur-La Hogue of 1692 “as one of the decisive battles of the world … as it convinced the French that their fate laid ashore and not at sea” (Christopher Lloyd, Atlas zur Seefahrtsgeschichte, p. 36).

The British coast from the Scillies over Torbay , Southampton and Brighton till Dover, on the continent from Plogoff over Ile d’Ouessant , the channel islands , St. Malo and Le Havre till Calais. Furthermore still with the northern coast of Cornwall and the southern part of the Bristol channel up to Bridgwater. Geographically reaching with increasing latitudes from 48° 5' till 51° 10' northern latitude. The longitudes without division and designation.

The extraordinary exactness and wealth of information of Gerard van Keulen’s charts as can be duplicated in the light of the one here received deserved credit by the Oostindische Compagnie in later years:

“ In 1704 the firm of (Johann) van Keulen was apparently not yet considered competent to handle the hydrographic work of the East India Company … It was only when Gerard van Keulen had demonstrated –

by  his  excellent  charts  in  Mercator’s  projection , for  instance  –

his ability to satisfy the requirements of navigators, that he was deemed a suitable candidate for the office of hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company. This was in 1714 … (He), who succeeded his father in 1704, brought new activity into the chart-making business … Further, Gerard issued ca. 40 charts of an

exceptionally  large  format  ( 60 x 100 cm )

… He introduced the Mercator projection (and) improved many of his father’s plates … by many amendments to the hydrographic details (soundings, shoals, islands, etc.) … About 1705,

the  finest  of  the  Van  Keulen  charts  were  published  by  Gerard :

the  large  size  charts  with  increasing  latitudes . ”

(Koeman).

These charts were published both on their own – Keu 24 + 29 ff. – as also together with the common small-sized charts in the Zee-Atlas – Keu 31 – and the Zee-Fakkel – Keu 71 – , but opposed to these charts, re-issued partly unchanged well into the 19^th century, supposedly already in 1734 for the last time. The chart here therefore not just standing out in regard of its size, but also belonging to those works that

Offer no. 28,002 / EUR  1892. / Export price EUR  1797. (c. US$ 2703.) + shipping