- 65
Leo Belgicus--Visscher, Nicolaes Janszoon.
Description
- Nova XVII Provinciarum Germaniae Inferioris Tabula, Leonis effigie, accuratè delineata. Amsterdam: Claes Ianss. Visscher, 1630, 435 x 562mm., double-page engraved map oriented west to the top, with the lion passant facing left or south, fully embellished with a title cartouche showing the Visscher monogram, fine dark impression
- Paper
Literature
Tooley, MCS 7 35; Schilder Monumenta Cartographica Neerlandici 7, 15.15 4th state; van der Heijden (1990) 16
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
A rare "Leo Belgicus" in its earliest available state.
A very scarce example of the Gerritsz/Visscher "Leo Belgicus", this being the uncommon variant form with the "lion passant facing left", first designed by Hessel Gerritsz, a noted engraver and cartographer in Amsterdam.
This is the fourth state of the map, with the date advanced to 1630 and used, with the date unchanged, in Visscher's Belgium sive Germania Inferior of 1634. Heiden was unable to locate an example of the first state, and only single examples of each of the second and third; Schilder quotes seven loose copies of this fourth state, while less than ten examples of the atlas with this map are recorded.
The lion was a popular emblem in the arms of cities and individual provinces of the Low Countries; in 1583 Michael Aitzinger (or Eitzinger) drew the first "Leo Belgicus" map, superimposing a lion over a map of the Low Countries, and a genre was born, as popular among collectors today as it was among the publishers of the period, and the most famous of all cartographic curiosities.
"This Lion hangs prominently in my apartment; every morning I look him in the eye and salute his majesty; I hope that my successor will receive the same uplifting inspiration, just as I will miss it" (Benevento).