Brabant – Claes Jansz. Visscher, 1629

NEWS MAP OF THE MILITARY CAMPAIGNS IN THE BORDER REGION OF DUTCH AND SPANISH BRABANT

“Pars Septentrionalis Brabantiae, et circumiacentium Provinciarum”. Copper engraving made by Claes Jansz. Visscher in Amsterdam, around 1629. With original hand colouring. Size: approx. 40 × 55.9 cm.

This detailed map of the northern part of the Duchy of Brabant and the surrounding regions, was issued shortly after the resumption of the Eighty Years’ War following the expiration of the Twelve Years’ Truce. The map covers the area between, among others, Bergen op Zoom, Breda, and ’s-Hertogenbosch, showing a dense network of rivers, roads, villages, and fortifications.

In the upper corners, the important fortified cities of Bergen op Zoom and Breda are depicted separately, each provided with their city walls and bastions.

Within the map itself, the principal military events in the region are explained. Central is the role of the Spanish commander-in-chief Ambrogio Spinola during his campaigns in the Southern Netherlands. The Siege of Breda (1624–1625) is mentioned, as well as earlier operations around Bergen op Zoom (1622). The counter-movements of the Dutch forces under Maurice of Orange and Frederick Henry are also indicated, including army camps at Roosendaal and Sprang. The Siege of ’s-Hertogenbosch in 1629 is likewise noted, when Frederick Henry definitively captured the city for the Dutch Republic.

This rare map is therefore not only a topographical representation, but also a propagandistic and informative document, intended to visually communicate the successes of the commanders involved. As is often the case with Visscher, the combination of geographical accuracy and immediacy is particularly well achieved.

Price: Euro 1.450,-