Lake Geneva/Lac Leman – Willem Blaeu, c. 1640

“Lacus Lemanni Locorumquae Circumiacentium Accuratissima Descriptio” Copper engraving of Lake Geneva published by Willem Blaeu of Amsterdam as part of…

“Lacus Lemanni Locorumquae Circumiacentium Accuratissima Descriptio” Copper engraving of Lake Geneva published by Willem Blaeu of Amsterdam as part of a French edition of his Novus Atlas, around 1640. With original hand colouring. Size 41,5 x 52 cm.

This beautifully engraved map of Lake Geneva area is based on the work of Swiss theologian Jacques Goulart (1580-1622). Numerous meticulous details such as estates, vineyards, parks, fortified towns and small villages are featured, as well as notes on the Duke of Savoy‘s attempts to take control of Geneva.

Geneva was an important Hanseatic city, it provided a marketplace for merchants from Northern and Southern Europe during the Middle Ages. It was also the city where a new wave of Protestantism sprang up that swept Europe in the 16th century. The Frenchman John Calvin (1509-1564) spread his ideas from Geneva from 1541 and within a few years gained a foothold with his Calvinism in France, Germany and the Netherlands .

Price: Euro 750,-