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c 1730 Seutter Map: Recens Edita totius Novi Belgii, in America Septentrionali

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Decorative Arts Start Price:5,500.00 USD Estimated At:6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
c 1730 Seutter Map: Recens Edita totius Novi Belgii, in America Septentrionali
Historic Maps
c. 1730 Historic Rare Earlier State of Seutter's Important American Northeast Map & New York City Restitutio View
c. 1730 Hand-Colored Copper-Engraved Map titled, “Recens Edita totius Novi Belgii, in America Septentrionali siti, delineatio cura et sumtibus Matthæi Seutteri, Sac. Caes. Maj. Geographi August.” by Matthäus Seutter (1678-1757), Augsburg, Choice Extremely Fine.
An excellent, beautiful example of the historic rare earlier state of Seutter's important map of the American Northeast which measures 19.75” tall x 24” wide, with full original vibrant color including the famous 'Restitutio' view of New York City. This is a fine example of one of the much-pirated Jansson-Visscher New England series of maps, first published by Visscher in 1651. The present plate was first published by Seutter in 1730, and `is the first map in the (Jansson-Visscher) series to show ... the boundaries of Massachusetts, New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.' There are three states with Seutter's imprint: the first with no mention of his imperial appointment, and the second state mentioning that he is Imperial geographer. In the third state, dating to 1740 onwards, the title has been altered again, this time to include mention of the privilege that he has been granted in the lower boxed portion. After Seutter's death his son-in-law, Tobias Conrad Lotter, inserted his own name and three further states were published.

This view first appeared on the Hugo Allard printing of the map in 1674 and shows the city at the time of the Dutch reconquest in 1673. To this map of the northeast is added the famous Restitutio View of New York City, which celebrated the brief return to Dutch governance from late 1672 until February of 1674. This is one of the earliest views of the city. Adorning the inset view is a very elaborate tableau in which the Emperor, Charles VI, is shown attended by Hermes, god of commerce, Athena, goddess of wisdom, and Hera, who is standing over a chest of gold coins. Behind the divine beings, dark skinned workers of the world carry nature's products to lay at the Emperor's feet. Among the many errors, Lake Champlain is located east of the Connecticut River. Geographic errors aside, the map is exquisitely beautiful. Within this map are engraved many native American wildlife features such as birds and animals including turkeys, herons, bears, moose, foxes, rabbits, and beavers. There are also images of a circular and rectangular Native American Indian village.

Matthäus Seutter was one of the most important German mapmakers of the eighteenth century. Born in Augsburg in 1678, he became an apprentice to the renowned cartographer Johann Baptiste Homann in Nuremberg. In 1707 he established himself as a map publisher in Augsburg, and quickly became Homann's main rival. His business flourished and by 1731 he was appointed Geographer to the Imperial Court. See: Asher, A List of the Maps and Charts of New Netherland, 20, p.16; Campbell, The Jansson-Visscher Maps of New England , 26; cf. McCorkle, New England in Early Maps, 730.5 (1st state, but briefly noting later states); cf. Stokes, The Iconography of Manhattan Island 1498-1909, plate 16b and p. 223 (1st state); Tooley, The Mapping of America, 26, p. 291. A magnificent example.