Denmark Map 1690 Visscher Regni Daniae Print - Denmark, Jutland, Zealand, Funen

This richly ornamented late-seventeenth-century map of the Kingdom of Denmark, titled Regni Daniae Novissima et Accuratissima Tabula, was made by Nicolaes Visscher II of Amsterdam around 1690 and bears a prominent dedication to King Christian V. The comprehensive regional map shows the kingdom together with the adjacent coastlines of southern Sweden and northern Germany. It was issued at the height of the Dutch Golden Age of cartography and shows the crisp engraving, elegant lettering and elaborate decoration that marked the Visscher firm, with a privilege statement that dates it to the years after 1677. The sheet is a grand and decorative example of Dutch work for a royal client, and its two cartouches make it one of the most ornamental maps of the kingdom.

The map was designed for Visscher's Atlas Minor, a custom-collated composite atlas for the affluent merchants and aristocrats of Europe. It gives dense detail across Jutland, the Danish archipelago, including Zealand and Funen, and the borderlands, with tiny pictorial settlements, forests and winding rivers. Sailing ships, a compass rose and shoals marked in stippling animate the seas. Two large cartouches carry the ornament: a dedication cartouche at the upper left shows the royal achievement of Christian V, with the Order of the Elephant, and the title cartouche at the upper right shows the arms of Denmark.

Anyone who prizes ornate Dutch maps, a family with roots in Denmark, or a reader of royal history will find a grand gift here. TheMapVault's Danckerts map of the Danish islands comes from the same decade, whereas this Visscher sheet shows the entire kingdom with its royal dedication. Like every print in the collection, it ships unframed and is available in a full range of sizes, from a compact desk piece to a large-format statement print. It would suit a hall or a library.