North Holland – Isaak Tirion, 1750

“Kaart van Noord Hollands Zuidelykste Gedeelte behelzende het meerder deel van Kennemerland Waterland, Zeevang, benevens de Schermer, Beemster, Purmer, Wormer, enz.” [Map of the southernmost part of North Holland, containing the greater part of Kennemerland, Waterland, Zeevang, together with the Schermer, Beemster, Purmer, Wormer, etc.] Copper engraving made in 1750 by J. Keizer, published by Isaak Tirion as part of his Tegenwoordige Staat der Vereenigde Nederlanden. With fine original hand colouring. Size approx. 34 × 38.5 cm.

This general map shows the densely populated and water-rich heart of North Holland in the mid-eighteenth century: a region that exemplifies the centuries-long struggle against the water and the successful land reclamations that permanently shaped the landscape.

At the centre of the map lie the major seventeenth-century drainage projects: the Beemster, Schermer, Purmer and Wormer polders, recognisable by their characteristic geometric field patterns. The straight roads, waterways and regular parcels contrast strongly with the older, meandering layouts of the surrounding peat meadows. Each polder is coloured separately, giving the map a particularly clear and decorative appearance.

On the left side of the map is the coastal region of Kennemerland, with its rows of dunes along the North Sea, the old beach ridges, and the villages and country estates situated behind them. To the south lies the expanse of the IJ, the waterway between Amsterdam and the Zuiderzee. The city of Amsterdam, depicted with a strikingly large red urban plan, forms the focal point in the southeast.

In the northeast we see Waterland and Zeevang, a clay and peat landscape cut through by narrow ditches, ring canals, and small villages—often fishing or agricultural settlements. Along the shores of the Zuiderzee, well-known towns such as Monnickendam, Edam and Hoorn are clearly recognisable and likewise marked in red.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this region ranked among the best-managed and economically most dynamic landscapes in Europe: a mosaic of towns, polders, drained lakes and centuries-old waterworks.

Price: Euro 425,-