| Method | Copper engraved |
| Artist | van den Keere, Pieter |
| Published | P. Kaerius sc. [Claes Janszoon Visscher, Amsterdam, c.1649] |
| Dimensions | 86 x 121 mm |
| Notes |
A finely engraved miniature map of the 'Patavinum Territorium,' now the modern province of Padua in the Veneto, Italy, engraved by van den Keere for the 1649 printing of Claes Jansz. Visscher's Tabulae Geographicae Contractae. The Venetian Lagoon can be seen at the right edge of the map, with the city of Venice itself depicted pictorially in the centre of the lagoon. The island of Murano, famous for its glass, is also plotted nearby. The city of Padua is also depicted pictorially, and the other towns and villages of the region are plotted. The marshy territory inland of the Venetian Lagoon is identified by hatchured lines, and rivers and lakes are also named. The title of the map is enclosed in a simple box cartouche at top left, along with a scale in Italian miles. Pieter van den Keere, also known frequently as Petrus Kaerius, came to England in 1584, as a Protestant refugee from his home town of Ghent with his sister Colette, who married Jodocus Hondius, in 1587. It was probably from Hondius that Keere learned to engrave. Both engravers left London in 1593 to settle in Amsterdam. Keere began to engrave a series of miniature maps in 1599 in preparation for a small atlas of the British Isles. The maps were first published in 1617 by William Blaeu with plate numbers and Latin text. They then passed to George Humble, who published them in 1619 and then again in 1627, by which time they had become known colloquially as 'Miniature Speeds.' The Visscher family produced maps and atlases in Amsterdam throughout the seventeenth and early eighteenth century. Established by Claez Jansz Visscher (1587-1652), they mainly published atlases from plates purchased from Pieter van den Keere. The business was then continued by Nicholas Visscher, I (1618-1679) and his grandson, Nicholas II. The Visschers published many revised editions of their 'Atlas Contractus' and 'Atlas Minor'. Upon the death of Nicholas II, his wife, Elizabeth, continued the business before selling it to Peter Schenk. Condition: Excellent clean impression with full margins. Blank on verso. |
| Framing | mounted |
| Price | £150.00 |
| Stock ID | 43610 |