Very Rare Sea Chart by Louis Vlasbloem, "Europa"

Subject: Europe
Period: 1656 (circa)
Publication: The North Zea...
Color: Black & White
Size: 8.6 x 11.7

This very rare sea chart by Louis Vlasbloem was likely published in Amsterdam in his small rutter The North Zea... (1656). Vlasbloem's works are hard to find today, and because of their usefulness to English and Dutch mariners at the time, the examples that do survive often show signs of heavy use. His chart of Europe spans from Scandinavia south to the northern African coastline and from Iceland east to the Adriatic Sea. There is no inland detail; place names are limited to the coasts. The seas are crisscrossed by rhumb lines, and there are three compass roses capped by fleur-de-lis. Two cartouches adorn the map, one for the title and one for the distance scales that is decorated with maritime implements. North is oriented to the right.

References: Shirley (BL Atlases) M.VLAS-1a.
Condition: B+
The chart's margins have been trimmed away, with parts of the neatline missing. It has been mounted on a larger sheet of old paper. There are minor damp stains and light soiling.