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Gerard Valk, or Gerrit Leendertsz Valck (1652-1726) together with his son Leonard, were the only significant publishers of globes in the Netherlands in the eighteenth century, enjoying an almost total monopoly in the first half of the 1700's. Initially an engraver and art dealer, and having worked for map-sellers Christopher Browne and David Loggan in London between 1672 and 1679, Valk established the firm in Amsterdam in 1687. Initially, they published maps and atlases, but in 1700 the company moved the shop to the building previously occupied by map and globe-maker Jodocus Hondius. In 1701, he applied for a charter for making globes and the "Planetolabium", designed by Lotharius Zumbach de Coesfelt (1661-1727), an astronomy lecturer at Leiden University. The Valks produced several editions of 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 24-inch diameter terrestrial and celestial globes. The cartography, as stated on the cartouche, is based closely on the celestial atlas Uranographia, published in 1687 by the celebrated Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius (1611-1687).

Around 1711, when he became a member of the bookseller's guild, Leonard Valk (1675-1746) came into partnership and his name started to appear alongside that of his father on the cartouches of the globes, although the earliest of these, both terrestrial and celestial, still bear the date 1700. Leonard naturally took over the business on his father's death in 1726, and following his own death in 1746 the firm was run by Maria Valk, cousin, and wife to Gerard. By then its days of glory had passed. Leonard Valk died in relative poverty: his wife had to take in the washing of their aunt to make ends meet. The late eighteenth century saw a number of successful reissues by publisher Cornelis Covens (1764-1825), who ran the famous cartographical publishing house of Covens & Mortier (1721-1866) in Amsterdam. This firm was the biggest Dutch one for publishing maps in the 18th century. It was located on the Vijgendam (Fig Dam), the southern part of what is now Dam Square, the central hub of the city. They didn't move out of their building, but they did change addresses. At first in 1795 the whole Dam was rebaptized into Revolution Square, then it got the name Napoleon Square, till in 1813 after Napoleon's fall Covens & Mortier were back again at the Vijgendam.


Archived

Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1690
Size:
22.5 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
74841
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1692 circa
Size:
20 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
55690
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1692 circa
Size:
20 x 16 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
55707
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1694
Size:
20.5 x 17.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
9904
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1694 circa
Size:
20 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
55486
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1694 circa
Size:
22 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
55537
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1694 circa
Size:
20 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
55862
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1694
Size:
20 x 15.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
78403
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1694 circa
Size:
21.5 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
81208mp2
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1695
Size:
21 x 16.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
0179
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1695 circa
Size:
19.5 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
64263
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1695 circa
Size:
21 x 17 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
70372rd
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1698
Size:
20.5 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
5063
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1698
Size:
20.5 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
25929
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1698
Size:
20.5 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
55442
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
23 x 19 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
23327
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
21.5 x 17.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
23409
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
23.5 x 20 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
24250
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
23 x 19 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
24475
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700
Size:
24 x 19.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
25536
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
19 x 15.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
0254gh
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
23 x 19 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
29735
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
23 x 19 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
35348
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
33 x 18 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
38987
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
17 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
35730
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
20 x 15 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
42611
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
23 x 19 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
47182
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
21 x 18.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
41699
Place/Date:
Amsterdam / 1700 circa
Size:
23 x 19.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
47213