Amsterdam – Jacob van Meurs + Olfert Dapper, 1663

“Amsterdam van het Y aan te sien” (Amsterdam seen from the IJ), copper engraving published by Jacob van Meurs in 1663 as part of the Historische Beschrijving der Stadt Amsterdam (Historical Description of the City of Amsterdam) by Olfert Dapper. Size: 23.8 x 45.3 cm.

According to historian Olfert Dapper (1636-1689), this is what we see:

“The IJ offers a very suitable anchorage for the ships that arrive here from all parts of the world. It serves not only as a safe harbor but also as a triple line of defense. For this purpose, the waterfront has been reinforced with a double row of sturdy piles, stretching from the Blauwhoofd bastion almost to the farthest end of the new city walls. At various places, however, openings have been left (which are closed at night with tree trunks), so that ships may pass through with ease.

When one sails along the IJ within the city, or outside the piles, one sees hundreds of ships of every kind and from all nations, lying as densely packed as a forest. Some are so large that, like floating castles, by their height, strength, and multitude of guns they present an impressive and almost terrifying sight. It is believed that the sight of so many ships together is unique to Amsterdam and can be found nowhere else in the world.

This marvelous and awe-inspiring spectacle, which the city presents on the side of the IJ, has therefore rightly been deemed worthy of being enhanced by depicting Amsterdam upon this ship-rich IJ with its churches, towers, and other public buildings, which rise proudly and lend the city a stately appearance.”

Price: Euro 525,-