Belgium - Namur

Important double-page historical-topographic map, copper-engraved in the early eighteenth century by the celebrated royal cartographer Nicolas de Fer (1646–1720). The plate, marked with number 12 in the upper right corner, comes from the well-known geographical work L'Atlas Curieux ou Le Monde représenté dans des cartes générales et particulières, published in Paris. The map offers a rich and detailed panorama of one of the most strategically and militarily hot spots in the Spanish Netherlands, focusing on the course of the Meuse and Sambre rivers. The fortresses and fortified towns of Namur, Huy and Charleroi are clearly depicted, nerve centers during the wars of Louis XIV. The morphology of the territory is described with baroque meticulousness, showing the orography of the hills, the extent of the dense forests of the area, the abbeys, the small villages and the routes of communication. In the lower right corner stands an elegant decorative cartouche that encloses the complete descriptive title and the author's editorial data. Below it sits a precious numbered legend ("Renvoy des Chateaux qui sont aux Environs de Namur") from 1 to 13, specifically dedicated to the identification of the castles and the defensive garrisons that surrounded the city of Namur. An exemplar on a double sheet printed on contemporary paper, intact and of exceptional interest for collectors of eighteenth-century military cartography and the history of Wallonia. Dimensions 26 x 63 cm Will be shipped by courier

Estimate:£0.83

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