Netherlands - Utrecht; Verdussen - Ultraiectini Dominii - 1725

Technical sheet
Subject / Title: Ultraiectini Dominii. Map of the territory of Utrecht, with the neighboring regions of Holland and Gelderland and part of the Zuiderzee.
Author / Cartographer: I. Peeters.
Engraver: Jacobus Harrewijn (1660–1727); signature «Harrewijn fecit» under the cartouche.
Draftsman: I. Peeters.
Publisher / Printer: Juan Bautista Verdussen.
Place: Antwerp.
Epoch / Date: 1725.
Technique: Engraving on copper plate, produced with aquatint and etching, with period hand coloring along the borders and on some ornamental elements.
Support: Ragged paper.
Dimensions: Sheet 19 × 20 cm; impression 18 × 15 cm.
Composition: Single plate with a central vertical fold; title within a figured cartouche with a coat of arms, orientation indicator and two graphic scales within an ornamental frame. Verso devoid of printed text.

Description

Map of the territory of Utrecht, engraved by Jacobus Harrewijn and published in Antwerp in 1725. The depiction includes Utrecht and its surroundings, extending to the neighboring areas of Holland and Gelderland, with Amsterdam, Haarlem, Amersfoort and a stretch of the Zuiderzee.
The network of waterways is one of the main elements of the composition, flanked by indications of settlements, territorial divisions, lakes and lands subdivided by a grid of lines. The major towns are highlighted by small urban profiles or schematic representations of fortifications; the relief is rendered through sequences of fine hills. The hand coloring emphasizes the borders and some shoreline features, while keeping the dense toponymy legible.
In the upper left, the Latin title Ultraiectini Dominii is inscribed on a banner inserted into a figurative composition with a coat of arms. In the lower right corner, the scales of German and French miles are accompanied by figures, nets and tools recalling fishing activities. A small colored orientation indicator completes the cartographic apparatus.

Historical-artistic note

The map offers a description of the territory in which settlements and waterways are particularly highlighted. The presence of lakes, canals and geometrically subdivided lands shows the close relationship between spatial organization and the hydrographic environment.
The small format preserves an articulated decorative apparatus: the figurative cartouche and the ornaments of the scales accompany the geographic information, while the precision of the sign allows distinguishing urban centers, waterways and borders. The signature «Harrewijn fecit» identifies the engraver.

Condition Report

Paper with light yellowing and widespread browning, accompanied by minute foxing spots, more evident on the verso and in the margins. Central vertical fold pronounced, with slight browning and waviness of the support along the fold. Margins preserved on all four sides, with small signs of wear and slight peripheral irregularities.
Verso devoid of printed text, with transparency of the engraving and brownish halos corresponding to some colored areas of the recto. Sharp impression and clearly distinguishable coloring; toponymy and ornamental elements retain good legibility.