Overijssel – Frederik de Wit, 1680-1690

“Transisalania Provincia, vulgo Over-IJssel.” Copper engraving after the design of Nicolaas ten Have, published 1680–1690 by Frederik de Wit. With original hand colouring. Size: 46 x 54 cm.

Unlike other provinces of the Northern Netherlands, it was not until the mid-17th century that a reliable map of Overijssel became available. Between 1640 and 1650, the province was mapped on the commission of the States of Overijssel by Nicolaas ten Have, conrector of the Latin School in Zwolle. His fine overview map in four sheets was finally published in 1650 (or 1652?) and was mostly distributed as loose sheets.

The province paid Ten Have fl. 245 “for the costs of engraving the plate of the small map of this Province.” This reduced map is not a faithful copy of the large map. The reduction required the omission of details, yet a balanced cartographic image was preserved. The reduced edition of Ten Have’s map can be found in a number of Dutch atlases from the 17th and 18th centuries. This example was published by Frederik de Wit on the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam, as part of his atlas “Germania Inferior” or “Nieut [sic] Kaert-boeck van de XVII Nederlandsche Provincien.”

As decoration, the coat of arms of Overijssel appears in the lower left of the map, surrounded by a Zuiderzee fisherman, a peat cutter, a stack of peat turves and some livestock.

Literature: C.M. Hogenstijn – “Een Perfecte Caerte van Overijssel” (2012), no. 2.2.j

Price: Euro 395,-