Fine original antique map of the vicinity of Liege in eastern Belgium. This map originally appeared in Visscher's Atlas Minor Sive Geographia Compendosia. . ., published in Amsterdam between 1683 and 1696.
The map shows in great detail the course of the Meuse River, Huy, Liege, Verviers, Limburg, and Spa. Roads are shown connecting these cities, rivers flow throughout, and every church in the region is shown. A key at the top compares the various types of cities, religious buildings, and fortifications shown on the map. A scale bar is also provided.
The Visschers were an important Dutch publishing family who lead the cartographic trade in the latter half of the 17th-century. Visscher II inherited the firm and obtained his privilege in 1682, shortly before the publication of this map.
Nicolaas Visscher II (1649-1702) was a prominent Dutch cartographer and publisher during the late 17th century. He was the grandson of Claes Janszoon Visscher and the son of Nicolaes Visscher I, both of whom were also renowned cartographers in their own right. After his father's death in 1679, Nicolaas Visscher II took over the family's map publishing business.
In 1680, he married Elizabeth Verseyl from Gouda, and in 1682, he obtained a new privilege from the States of Holland and West Friesland to protect his maps and publications from being copied. Visscher II continued the family tradition of producing high-quality maps, atlases, and globes, often with elaborate and decorative elements. He maintained the Visscher family's reputation for accuracy and craftsmanship in the competitive world of Dutch cartography until his death in 1702. After his death, his widow, Elizabeth, and later his son, also named Nicolaas, continued the business until around 1726.