Amsterdam – Casparus Commelin + Andries van Damme, 1726

“Amsterdam met desselfs omleggende landen” [“Amsterdam with Its surrounding lands] copper engraving in the 2nd state (of 5) from the Beschryvinge van Amsterdam by Casparus Commelin, first published in 1693; this example published by Andries van Damme in 1726. Coloured by a later hand. Size 40.5 × 56.5 cm.

At the top centre, the title appears on a rather small scroll. In the upper right corner, two shields are placed one above the other: the city’s coat of arms, surmounted by an imperial crown, and the city seal. The principal buildings are shown in elevation. The map composition looks somewhat unbalanced because the city is depicted to the right of centre. The reason is that the engraving illustrates the drainage and water-refreshment system. Several mills “which grind out the foul water” form part of this system.

The city is shown with the so-called Fourth Expansion (Vierde Uitleg). The celebrated semicircle of Amsterdam’s canal belt had become a reality from 1665 onwards.

The Fourth Expansion had been planned in line with the rapid population growth that had occurred since the late sixteenth century. That projection, however, proved overly optimistic. Although Amsterdam continued to grow until about 1735, the increase was far less than had been assumed. In 1708 the area around the Hoogte Kadijk was re-parceled, and existing industry disappeared, including the remnants of the village of Oetewaal. Oostenburg was not fully built up until around 1720. Subsequently, purchase and rental prices in Amsterdam soared, and by about 1730 no rental houses were available at all. In several parts of the inner city, where industrial activity had previously been located—such as on the west side of the Keizersgracht—townhouses nevertheless began to appear. Unused land north of the Amstel had already been allocated to municipal institutions such as the Hortus Botanicus and to charitable foundations such as the Amstelhof; the remaining area was designated as a promenade zone with various forms of entertainment, today’s Plantage district.

Price: Euro 595,-