Visscher's Map of Jamaica - The Kislak Copy with Excellent Original Color

VISSCHER, Nicolaes (1618-1679).
Jamaica Americæ Septentrionalis ampla insula, Christophoro Columbo detecta in suas Gubernationes peraccuratè Distincta Per Nicolaum Visser Amst: Bat: cum Privil:o Ordin:m General:m Belgii Fœderati Nunc apud Pet: Schenk Jun:
Engraved map with original hand color.
Engr. L[uggert] v[an] Anse (fl. 1677-1716).
Amsterdam[: Peter Schenk, ca. 1709].
21 1/16” x 25 3/16” sheet.

THE KISLAK COPY, WITH EXCELLENT ORIGINAL COLOR

The firm of Visscher — its great progenitor being Claes Janszoon (1587–1652), then continuing to his son Nicolaes I (1618–1679) and grandson Nicolaes II (1649–1702) — is in the very first rank of the golden age of Dutch cartography. After the death of Nicolaes II, his widow Elisabeth carried his work forward, eventually selling the plates to Peter Schenk Jr. (1693–1775), a Dutch-born dealer of German (Leipzig) parentage. Visscher maps are distinguished by their accuracy and by the allegorical charm of their cartouches and other figures.

The present map is a re-issue — differing in the addition of Schenk’s “Nunc apud” (“now at the premises of”) and of a grid on a cylindrical projection — of the ca. 1680 plate from Nicolaes II. The languages on the map — principally English — reflect the layered colonial history of the island and region. The 1670 Treaty of Madrid shifted possession from Spain (note las “Binoras” — a shoal south of the island) to England. The island itself is labeled in French (“Iamaique.”) reflecting the other holdings of France in the Antilles, and the seas are labeled in Dutch, a concession to the larger system of composite atlases offered by the Visschers.

The color on the present example is unusually fine, especially with the edition of the fanciful fish-net in pink in the scale panel.

From the collection of Jay I. Kislak (his sale, Doyle’s 15 Setpember 2022, lot 210). Kislak was an explorer and entrepreneur, who amassed one of the great collections of Americana in various categories, notably maps. The Kislak Family Foundation has set up Kislak Centers in Florida, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which promote the study of this material.

Condition: Repaired tear along the center-fold, with a small filled marginal loss at the lower edge. Some small spots. Pigment oxidation to the verso, with some manuscript notes (numbered “98” at the upper right corner, presumably its place in a composite atlas). A finely-colored example.

Reference: Osher 14003.