Germania Inferior id est XVII Provinciarum

Acquired From: Leen Helmink

Colouring: Uncoloured

Condition: Very Good

Confirmed: Yes

Date Acquired: 30/11/2015

Description: Around 1584, Pieter van den Keere fled religious persecution in Ghent (now part of Belgium) and settled in London. His sister, Colette van den Keere ( #113), also moved to London, where she married Jodocus Hondius ( #18, #80, #82, #114, #123, #126, #253 and #272) in 1587. While in London, Pieter trained as an engraver under his brother-in-law, Hondius. In 1593, both van den Keere and Hondius left London and settled in Amsterdam, where they continued their work. By 1610, Van den Keere established a workshop on the Kalverstraat naming it In den onseeckeren tijd (In the Uncertain Time).nSeven years later, van den Keere published the Germania Inferior the first original atlas of the Netherlands produced in folio size. It produced during the armistice of 16091621 in the war between Spain and the Dutch Republic. In 1617 the republic was essentially a federation of states, which is is reflected in the design of the title page of the atlas. nThis title page is from the 1622 edition. It features an architectural structure crowned bey a female figure personifying the Low Countries. She sits atop the Leo Belgicus, the heraldic lion of the Low Countries, and above her head are the four Hebrew letters representing the name of God. In her right hand, she holds a sailing ship, symbolising the Dutch maritime expertise and in her left, a money bag shared with Hermes, the wing-helmeted god of commerce, who carries a caduceus. Resting in her lap is an armillary sphere. nThe columns supporting the structure bear the coats of arms of the Seventeen Provinces of the Low Countries. At their tops, two sailors are depicted. On the left, one reads a book while holding a piece of chalk, symbolizing the invention of printing (het vinden van de boekdrukkunst). On the right, the other leans on a compass and holds a sounding line, representing the discovery of the compass (het vinden van het kompas). nFlanking the columns are female allegories: on the left, a figure with an olive sprig and palm leaf signifying Peace, and on the right, a figure holding a birch rod and shackles labelled "Ratio," symbolising Reason. At the base of the structure, six individuals are depicted in attire reflecting their social statusa noble couple, two merchants, and two peasants slightly bent in posture. The central panel shows a ship and two men near barrels and bales, suggesting a scene of trade negotiation. At the very bottom is van den Keere's emblem: a skull and sundial, serving as a vanitas, a reminder of life's transience

Engraver: Keere, Pieter van den (1571-1646)

First published: Germania Inferior id est, XVII provinciarum ejus novae et exactae tabulae geographicae… Amsterdam: Pieter van den Keere, 1617

Mapmaker: Keere, Pieter van den (1571-1646)

Notes: Yes

Price: 400

Primary Category: Titlepage

Purchase Reference: Ledger 2022. Inv. 2015-008

References: Cornelis Koeman, Bibliographical Note, in Germania Inferior. With an Introduction by C. Koeman (Amsterdam: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, 1966), vxviii.

Shirley ID #: 36 Courtiers and Cannibals

Technique: Copper Engraving

This state: 1622, Second