Map of the North Sea, including the British Isles, Norway, etc.

Artist or Author: Louis Renard

Work: Atlas van Zeevaert en Koophandel door de Geheele Weereldt

Date of Publication: 1745

Style: Engraving

Paper Size: ~ 23 1/2" by 21 1/4"

Condition: The work is in good to excellent condition overall. The work may have some occasional discoloration the folds. There may be a few minor imperfections to be expected with age. Please review the image carefully for condition and contact us with any questions.

Description of the work: This exceptional maritime map is from Louis Renard's Atlas van Zeevaert en Koophandel door de Geheele Weereldt. This is from the first Dutch edition of the work published in Amsterdam by the Ottens in 1745.

Renard's sea atlas was developed from the plates of Frederik de Wit, who published his own maritime work circa 1675. Renard's atlas was first published in 1715 but became so useful and popular it was re-issued first in 1739 with more editions continuing until 1802. "This continuous revision proves that the atlas was intended for use at sea and not only for the consultation on shore." (Koeman) “This [atlas] was issued in three ways: uncoloured, the body of the map coloured and the cartouches left plain, and fully coloured.” (Tooley)

The maps feature exquisite cartouche work, likely drawn by Romeyn de Hooghe. The scenes in Renard's atlas would sometimes feature whaling, bear hunting, ivory trade, Indians, portrait of Magellan, costumes and animals of the respective regions, et al.

Louis Renard (1678-1746) was a born in France to a Huguenot family. He worked as a book seller and publisher in Amsterdam, Netherlands from 1703. The Netherlands led the world in overseas commerce, engraving, and cartography with Renard as a masterful leader in the field.