Belgium - Hazebrouck (West Flanders); Vedastus du Plouich - HASEBROVCKA AMOENVM ET POPVLOSVM IN OCCIDENTALI FLANDRIA OPPIDVM - 1621-1650

Splendid and fascinating seventeenth-century urban plan printed on contemporary laid paper, originally titled in the rectangular cartouche at the bottom left “Hasebroucka amoenum et populosum in occidentali Flandria oppidum”. This valuable work of intaglio art arises from the collaboration between the Flemish expert and cartographer Vedastus du Plouich and the renowned editorial dynasty of Joan Blaeu in Amsterdam, conceived initially to adorn the famous Flandria Illustrata by Antonius Sanderus. The view offers an extraordinary and lucid documentation of the urban and social life of Hazebrouck in the 17th century, a prosperous city shaped by the textile industry and agricultural trade in the heart of Western Flanders.
The composition is distinguished by an extraordinary feather’s-eye perspective, allowing appreciation of the meticulous architectural layout of every single housing plot, the windmills along the perimeter, and the lush private gardens cultivated inside the walls. In the upper right corner stands a sumptuous Baroque heraldic cartouche containing a solemn dedication to the magistrates and the mayor of the city, while the opposite lower right corner hosts a second geometric cartouche with a dense explanatory Latin legend structured into twenty numbered points, essential for identifying the main church of Saint Eligius, the horse market square, and the main roads leading to Ypres and Merville. The road network and roof coverings are finely enhanced by a pleasant watercolor wash that enriches the visual impact of the sheet. This refined print represents a precious historical testimony of undeniable collectible interest, ideal for lovers of Belgian and French seventeenth-century cartography or as an important antique piece.

Dimensions 20 x 28 cm
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