Beschrijving:

Antique map of Belgium Flanders A coloured copper-engraving by De Wit published by Covens en Mortier Amsterdam, ca 1730. Size 50 x 60 cm. Frederick de Wit [1629-1706 was known as a map publisher, engraver and seller. He worked in Amsterdam from the Kalverstraat (‘bij den Dam inde dry Crabben) to 1654 and then from ‘in de Witte paskaert from 1655 to 1706. He produced a prodogious amount of cartographic material including seperate terrestial maps and sea charts, sea and terrestial atlases, wall maps, and town views. Many of his maps were superbly colored by master Dutch colorists of his day such as Dirck van Santen. De Wit also acquired numerous copperplates from those auctioned by the Blaeu and Janssonius publishing houses sometime after 1674 and republished these works, often with his imprint added. On his death in 1706, The bussines was continued for a time by his widow Maria untill 1709. In 1710, the De Wit plates were sold to Mortier, Van der Aa, and Renard Pieter Mortier(1661-1711) was a map publisher and mapseller of Amsterdam, who worked in connection with Jaillot, publishing atlases, maps and charts, made by Sanson, de Fer and De Wit amoungst others. Pieter was probably trained in the bookselling business in Paris and his brother David spent many years in England; in fact, he acquired British nationality and died there in about 1728. After Mortier's death in 1711 his widow continued the bussiness until their son, Cornelis, was old enough to take over the business and in 1721 went in partnership with Jean Covens. They continued to publish as Covens and Mortier , mainly reprints of great maps.