Antique Sea Chart of Hudson Bay and Arctic Canada by Van Keulen, circa 1681
€ 4 750
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1681
Technique
Engraved
Sheet size
53 × 60.5 cm (20.9 × 23.8 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
PCT-58947
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Original/contemporary hand coloring. Original folding line. Few vertical creases. General age-related toning. Shows some wear and soiling. Blank verso. Please review the images for further condition details.
About this sheet
A sea chart of Hudson Bay and Arctic Canada, titled "Pascaarte vande Noorderzee Custen van America," published by Van Keulen in Amsterdam about 1681, in original hand coloring. The map was first drawn in 1680 and is based on Doncker's last chart of Hudson Bay and the Arctic, with nearly identical cartouches.
The chart shows Hudson Bay and its islands in the center, Davis Strait and the coast of Greenland to the right, and Labrador, Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence at the lower right, with "Nova Britannia," "Nova Francia" and "New North Wales" lettered on the shore. Compass roses and crossing rhumb lines cover the sea, and small ships sail in the open water. The title cartouche is remarkable: a hunter fully dressed in fur takes aim with bow and arrow at a polar bear and her cubs. A second cartouche for the scale at the lower left shows scenes of trading and figures with animals.
The chart records the Dutch knowledge of the northern coasts of North America in the late seventeenth century, and is a decorative example of Van Keulen's sea charts.
