Nova Totius Europae Tabula

Article description

Outstanding and exceptionally rare large-format wall map of Europe, printed from nine copper plates, by Petrus Schenk (1660–1711), Amsterdam, c. 1700–1710. Overall: 842 x 962 mm (33 x 37 inches). Decorated with five panoramic city views (Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Seville); monumental allegorical title cartouche; compass roses; ships; sea gods; hemisphere inset. Not recorded in any standard bibliography. Professionally conserved. Petrus Schenk the Elder (1660–1711) was one of the most important Dutch cartographers and map publishers of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Born in Elberfeld (Germany), he moved to Amsterdam in 1675 as an apprentice to Gerard Valck, and in 1687 entered a partnership with Valck that would dominate the Amsterdam map trade for a generation. In 1694, Valk and Schenk acquired the complete copper-plate collection of Jan Janssonius and Jodocus Hondius — the most significant private cartographic acquisition of the era. Schenk's firm was among the finest producers of globes and maps in the Netherlands, and his work is represented in the Rijksmuseum, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the British Library. This monumental nine-sheet wall map of Europe is a supreme example of Dutch Golden Age cartography at its most spectacular. Five panoramic city views of Rome, Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Seville are engraved at the bottom. At the top, the title 'Nova Totius Europae Tabula' appears on a banner upheld by putti with fruit garlands. A large allegorical title cartouche depicts 'Queen Europe' attended by water gods, putti, and a protective soldier; above, an angel sounds a trumpet. The map extends from Greenland and Iceland in the northwest to the eastern Mediterranean and the Caspian Sea; Lithuania, Hungary, southeastern Europe, and North Africa are all depicted. An inset map of the Eastern Hemisphere in the lower right is held by a figure of a bare-breasted woman and a warrior; the seas are filled with compass roses, ships, and sea gods. Two engraved signatures appear: 'F. Tideman Liniavit' and 'G v d Gouwen fecit aquaforte.' This wall map has not been traced in any standard bibliography of Dutch cartography, and only one other example is known — in private hands. Due to age and the natural oxidation of the original colors, the map has undergone careful professional conservation: the original linen was removed, the nine sheets remounted on acid-free conservation paper, and the color oxidation stabilized. Areas with losses have been carefully redrawn. The result is a beautiful and highly decorative wall map in very good condition overall. In very good condition following careful professional conservation. Original linen removed; remounted on acid-free conservation paper. Color oxidation stabilized; areas with losses carefully redrawn. The image is fully intact. A condition report is available on request. 842 x 962 mm.

Nova Totius Europae Tabula – Petrus Schenk, Amsterdam c. 1710 · Exceptionally Rare Nine-Sheet Wall Map · Dutch Golden Age Cartography