Belgio, Paesi Bassi - Liège and Dutch Limburg; Nicolas de...

Important and fascinating original geographical map of the northern portion of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and the Dutch Limburg, etched on copper in 1705 by the celebrated court geographer Nicolas de Fer (1646–1720). This sought-after double-page plate comes from his acclaimed and monumental work L'Atlas Curieux ou Le Monde représenté dans des cartes générales et particulières, published in Paris. The map documents with utmost precision and topographic richness a geopolitically central and historically contested area, today located along the border between Belgium and the Netherlands. At the center of the map stands the important fortress and fortified city of Maastricht (Maestricht), perched along the course of the Meuse, depicted with its detailed defensive bastions. The work extends westward toward the County of Loon (Borchloen) and the historic cities of Tongeren and Hasselt, while to the east it highlights the territories of Limburg and the Duchy of Jülich. The exemplar is magnificently enhanced by a contemporaneous watercolor coloring of the territories, applied at the time to chromatically distinguish the different jurisdictions, lordships, and political enclaves of the era. At the upper right rises an elegant Baroque cartouche topped with decorative elements, enclosing the full descriptive title, the author’s honorary titles, and the royal privilege. The engraving, clean and rich in details relating to roads, forests, and small villages, bears the signature of the skilled Flemish engraver Pieter Starckman. A collectible piece of exceptional historical-documentary value and great aesthetic impact, ideal for connoisseurs of early Flemish cartography and the valleys of the Meuse. Dimensions 26 x 41 cm Will be shipped by courier.

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