Amersfoort – Frederik de Wit, 1698
€850
“Amisfurtum vulgo Amersfoort”,copper engraving published by Frederik de Wit in Amsterdam in 1698 as part of his “Theatrum Ichonographicum Omnium Urbium et Praecipuorum Oppidorum Belgicarum XVIII Provinciarum” [Atlas of plans of all cities and the principal towns of the Seventeen Provinces of the Netherlands]. With original hand colouring. Size: 42 × 52 cm.
In the seventeenth century, Amersfoort, together with Utrecht, was the only other major city in this province. The town originated from an estate of the Bishop of Utrecht on the River Eem, from where the reclamation of surrounding lands could be supervised. On this plan the old and the new canal rings of the city are clearly visible. The first ring, dating from the late thirteenth century, is almost circular and encloses the two principal churches of the town: in the centre the St. George’s Church (Sint-Joriskerk) and to the west the Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) with its tall tower. The tower still stands today, but the church itself was destroyed by an explosion in the eighteenth century.
The city experienced considerable economic growth and a rapid increase in population. Less than a century after the construction of the first city wall, a new line of fortifications was therefore laid out concentrically around the old one. This new defence consisted of walls with wall towers, gates, and a double moat. Construction began in 1380 and—mainly due to the high costs—continued until about 1450. In the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries this outer defensive ring was further strengthened with several bastions.
Amersfoort, or more precisely the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren, is often referred to as the geographical centre of the Netherlands. Until 1960 the tower served as the origin point of the coordinate system of the Rijksdriehoeksmeting (the Dutch national triangulation network), effectively making it the centre of the country.
The title cartouche is executed in auricular (“kwab”) style, surmounted by the coats of arms of the Bishopric of Utrecht and the city of Amersfoort.
Price: Euro 850,-
