Duijnkerken
[Dunkirk]
Amsterdam: JANSSON, Jan, 1625
Size (neatline): 30.9 x 22.3 cm / 12.2 x 8.8 in
Size (sheet): 37.1 x 29.5 cm / 14.6 x 11.6 in
Technique: Copper engraving
Colour: Hand coloured
Verso: Blank
Condition: Very good
Beautiful town view of Dunkirk by Guicciardini
Description
This attractive early 17th-century view of Dunkirk, then part of the Spanish Netherlands, shows the town’s skyline in the background, with an abundance of ships under the Dutch flag visible in the foreground.
Some of the buildings identified by name include the castle, the town hall, “the great church”, and the Minnebroeders monastery, the latter possibly referring to the Poor Clares convent present at the time. Also depicted are numerous windmills as well as the town’s gallows.
The fleet shown is labelled as “Dutch and Zeeland ships”. It is set amidst extensive sandbanks, typical of the shallow waters around Dunkirk.
The strapwork cartouche holds text in Latin and Dutch, reading:
“Dunkirk, the principal seaport of all of Flanders, has of late become renowned for its bountiful plunder of English, Dutch, and Zeeland ships.“
An attractive rendering of this historically important city.
Publication
Description De touts les Pays-Bas, Autrement appellez la Germanie Inferieure, ou Basse Allemagne; … [1625]
Note: Image shows pagination annotation / plate numbering in bottom right corner (72).
Condition
Very good.
Printed on watermarked paper, issued folding. Beautiful colouring throughout. A few light spots in bottom blank margin. A small tear, contained to lower right margin, closed on verso with archival tape.
Item #: 02785
US $250.00