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VAN KEULEN, GERARD 1735

Eng. Van Keulen, Pub. Van Keulen

(522mm x 595mm)

SEA CHART OF ISLES OF SCILLY

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The following is an excerpt from the book, the full section is only available in the book.

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Johannes Van Keulen (1654–1715) established the Van Keulen firm around 1678 and produced his ‘De Groote Nieuwe Vermeerderde Zee-Atlas ofte Water-Werelt’ in 1680, which would remain in production for the next 54 years, producing about 34 editions. His pilot guide ‘De Nieuwe Groote Lichtende Zee-Fakkel’ (New large shining sea-torch) was published from 1681, and was expanded to five volumes, with the addition of river courses, Mercator’s projections, depth soundings &c., and made the family famous. Johannes’s son Gerard (1678–1726) and grandson Johannes (II) followed Johannes Senior into the nautical map business. Gerard took over his father’s business in 1704 and went on to produce a total of over 120 issues of the ‘Zee-Fakkel’, which continued in production until 1803. In 1714 Gerard was appointed cartographer of the East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie or VOC). One of the major innovations made by Gerard was to move the ‘Zee-Fakkel’ onto printed cards, at the recommendation of the VOC, thereby making them easier to handle at sea. At the same time, loose maps of the navigation routes outward from Amsterdam into the North Sea and Western Approaches were produced.

This 1735 map of the Isles of Scilly is one such example, and is particularly fine. With few other Scillies maps to refer to, this must have been based on the Collins map (#23), although there are several major differences, the first of which is the overall level of detail. Van Keulen’s map is bursting with additional detail over Collins’s. Although the cartouche and headings are in Dutch, much of the map itself is in English, and well done.

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1735   Nieuwe Afteekening van de Sorlinges Eylanden, by de Engelsche genaamt Scilly Isles. Gerard Van Keulen,  Amsterdam.