Hoogheemraadschap of Delfland – Cruquius, 1712

THE MAP OF DELFLAND, A MASTERPIECE BY THE CRUQUIUS BROTHERS

“’T HOOGE HEEMRAEDSCHAP VAN DELFLANT.” Copper engraving, reduced overview map taken from the atlas-bound 25-sheet map of “‘t Hoogheemraedschap van Delflant: met alle de Steden” [Hoogheemraedschap (water authority) of Delflant with all its towns], surveyed and mapped by the admitted land surveyors Nicolaus and Jakob Cruquius. Published in 1712. Later hand-coloured. Size approx. 52 × 58.5 cm.

The map by Cruquius, commissioned on 12 September 1702 by the Hoogheemraadschap of Delfland, was not printed until 1712. The surveying work for the map atlas continued until 1707. During those years, Nicolaus Cruquius and his brother Jakob traversed the polders of the Hoogheemraadschap of Delfland with measuring chains, surveying land parcels, the locations of buildings, and the courses of roads and waterways.

The result may be regarded as one of the highlights of historical cartography. Using these tools, Cruquius succeeded in producing an astonishingly accurate set of maps, which today can be scanned and, after some fitting and measuring, georeferenced. When the 18th-century map is laid next to a modern 1:10,000 topographical map, it becomes clear just how precisely he recorded his observations. Down to the smallest details he depicts ground plans of buildings, the curves of ditches, roads and paths—even paths that today survive only in the oral memory of local residents. His textual annotations are equally thoughtful. By applying typographical devices, he distributed place-names across the map in such a way that the boundaries of related land parcels align exactly between the first and last letters of the name assigned to them.

The production of the large map of Delfland cost no less than 20,000 guilders at the time (!!).

The Hoogheemraadschap of Delfland was an overarching water authority encompassing a large number of smaller water boards. These boards were autonomous, but either fell under the jurisdiction of Rijnland or were “inlying” water boards, strongly dependent on Delfland.

Price: Euro 2.150,-