"Nederland de Bakermat van Roemruchte Gebeurlijkheden in Verleden en Heden",

Humorous pictorial map celebrating the history and achievements of the Dutch.


Stylistically, there is a nod to the Dutch Golden Age of Cartography with multiple vignettes and illustrations in the sea but is it done very much tongue in cheek, with sly little touches of modernity such as the multitude of lightbulbs in Eindhoven, the birthplace of the Philips Electronic Company. The seas teem with both monsters and more modern looking fish and the emblems of both the Dutch West and East India Companies are present on the lower corners. The illustrations are affectionate and the elaborate cartouche with several classical figures, putti and mer people is an obvious reference to the major 17th century firms like Blaeu, Jansson and van Keulen.


The artist, Ton van Tast, was the pseudonym for Anton van der Valk. The map was initially commissioned by the Haagsche Post, a weekly political magazine.


Printed colour. [NETH1188]