Acquired From: Leen Helmink
Colouring: Coloured
Condition: Excellent
Confirmed: 3/10/2024
Date Acquired: 20/11/2018
Description: The Van Keulen family was renowned for their significant contributions to mapmaking and atlas publishing. Their firm, In de Gekroonde Lootsman (In the Crowned Pilot), was established in 1678 by Johannes van Keulen I. In 1680, two years after establishing the business, Johannes secured exclusive rights from the Dutch government to publish sea atlases and pilot guides. That same year, he released De groote nieuwe vermeerderde zee atlas ofte water-werelt, (Great New Enlarged Sea Atlas of the Water World), commonly known as Zee Atlas. The following year, he introduced the first two volumes of De Nieuwe lichtende Zee-fakkel (New Shining Sea Torch), often referred to as Zee fakkel. Over the next four years, three more volumes were added to this pilot book series.nIn 1714, a year before Johanness death, his son, Gerard took over the business, continuing to update and reissue his fathers works until his own passing in 1726. The firm was then passed t Gerards son, Johannes II, who solidified the familys legacy by publishing the sixth and final volume of the Zee-fakkel in 1753. This new volume contained previously restricted cartographic information on the East Indies, which had been closely guarded by the Dutch East India Company (VOC). Merchants were required to return maps to the VOC after each voyage to protect the secrecy of trade routes. With the publication of this final volume, such information was made publicly accessible. nThe Zee-fakkel included this map covering the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand. It depicts key regions such as Singapore, Malaya, southern Thailand (Siam), Cambodia, southern Vietnam, much of Borneo, and parts of the Philippines. It illustrated crucial waters and treacherous sea passages in the East Indies, serving as an essential navigational reference for VOC ship sailing from Malacca, through the Straits of Singapore, or heading north from Batavia to destinations such as Thailand, Cambodia, Nagasaki, Canton, Macao, or Manilla. nThe coverage encompassed the primary trade centres of the South China Sea, extending from the island of Penang (Pinang) west of Malacca to Manila in the Philippines, and from roughly Thailand and Danang (near Taisoe) to eastern Borneo. Inland, the map traced the Chao Phray River northward beyond Bangkok to the Lopburi (Louvea) where the VOC maintained a factory. It also followed the Song Hau and Mekong rivers in Cambodia northward to De Stad Cambodia likely Laauweck (Lawec), a fluctuating capital of Cambodia where the VOC established a trading post. nVan Keulen highlighted coast-hugging routes into the Gulf of Thailand, leading to the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, thus facilitating access to Bangkok and Lopburi. This route was a vital supply line for the VOC settlement in Batavia, with the company relying on either Thailand or Cambodia for provisions depending on the political climate.
First published: De nieuwe groote lichtende Zee-fakkel, Vol. 6, Amsterdam: Johannes van Keulen II, 1753
Image Size (cm): 59×50
Mapmaker: Keulen II, Johannes van (1704-1755)
Other states: Only one state
Price: 30,000
Primary Category: Southeast Asia
Purchase Reference: Ledger 2022
Rarity: R1 Extremely rare – occasionally seen on the market
References: Parry pg 183 number 401
Sheet size (cm): 61.5×60
Technique: Copper Engraving
This state: 1753
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