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This engraved map, titled Nouvelle Carte représentant la Ville de Bois-le-Duc en plan..., provides a detailed depiction of the fortified city of Bois-le-Duc (now known as 's-Hertogenbosch) in the Netherlands. It showcases the city's defensive structures during the late 17th or early 18th century, including its ramparts, bastions, moats, and surrounding inundated areas, which were integral to its military strategy as a key stronghold in the region.
The map emphasizes the elaborate star-shaped fortifications that encircle the city, a hallmark of early modern military architecture. These structures, likely designed following the principles of Vauban-style fortifications, include bastions and outer defenses such as the prominent Fort Isabella to the west. The waterways, labeled as canals and inundated meadows, are carefully rendered, illustrating their dual function as both transportation routes and defensive barriers. The map's meticulous detail reflects the importance of this region during periods of military conflict, such as the Eighty Years' War and subsequent Franco-Dutch struggles.
Joan, or Johannes, Blaeu (1596-1673) was the son of Willem Janszoon Blaeu. He inherited his father’s meticulous and striking mapmaking style and continued the Blaeu workshop until it burned in 1672. Initially, Joan trained as a lawyer, but he decided to join his father’s business rather than practice.
After his father’s death in 1638, Joan and his brother, Cornelis, took over their father’s shop and Joan took on his work as hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company. Joan brought out many important works, including Nova et Accuratissima Terrarum Orbis Tabula, a world map to commemorate the Peace of Westphalia which brought news of Abel Tasman’s voyages in the Pacific to the attention of Europe. This map was used as a template for the world map set in the floor of the Amsterdam Town Hall, the Groote Burger-Zaal, in 1655.
Joan also modified and greatly expanded his father’s Atlas novus, first published in 1635. All the while, Joan was honing his own atlas. He published the Atlas maior between 1662 and 1672. It is one of the most sought-after atlases by collectors and institutions today due to the attention to the detail, quality, and beauty of the maps. He is also known for his town plans and wall maps of the continents. Joan’s productivity slammed to a halt in 1672, when a fire completely destroyed his workshop and stock. Joan died a year later and is buried in the Westerkerk in Amsterdam.
![[ Delft ] Delphium urbs Hollandiae cultissima, ab eiusdem nominis fossa vulgo, Deelft appellata](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/54931mp2.jpg)
