A good example of the first state of Johannes van Keulen’s sea chart of the eastern half of the English Channel from the Dover Straits to the Channel Islands. The English coast extends from the Isle of Thanet to Portland Bill. Included are the Channel Islands excepting the western side of Guernsey. Lower right is an inset of the Isle of Wight. The firm of Van Keulen was founded around 1678 by Johannes van Keulen (1654-1715) and in 1680 he published the ‘Zee Atlas’. The five volume ‘De Nieuwe Groote Lichtende Zee Fakkel’ followed rapidly after. The second part of this work which included this chart covered the traditionally entitled southern part, or from Holland south to the Straits of Gibraltar.

Van Keulen (1654-1715) was born in Deventer, before moving with his family at a young age to Amsterdam. He was enrolled in the booksellers’ guild in 1678. An accomplished publisher he lacked the technical skills of chart-making and relied on the work of the well-known mathematical practitioner Claas Janz Vooght. His charts are amongst some of the more attractive Dutch maps, here with ornate features lower right around the scales and inset, and the title cartouche. Provenance: private Jersey collection. Koeman (1967-70) IV Keu 16 no. 51, Keu 57B no. 11, p. 375 (72); Sanderson (1971) NMM 107 no. 45; Tooley’s Dictionary (1999-2004).