Paesi Bassi / Francia - Bergues / Berg St. Winox / Vinoxbergen; Nicolas de Fer (1646 – 1720) - BERG S. WINNOX VINOXBERGEN en Flamand. Ville forte du Comté de Flandre... - 1681-1700

Splendid early 18th-century fortified plan of the city of Bergues (Berg St. Winox), designed by cartographer Nicolas de Fer, engraved by Herman van Loon and masterfully hand-colored in watercolors.

This refined and exceptionally accurate military plan, entitled "Berg St. Winox Vinoxbergen en Flamand", is a celebrated work by King Louis XIV’s official geographer, Nicolas de Fer (1646–1720), masterfully engraved on copper by the artist and engraver Herman van Loon, whose signature, "H. van Loon Fecit", is clearly visible in the lower-right corner. Printed in Paris in the very early 18th century, this plate originally belonged to the prestigious cartographic work Les Forces de l'Europe, a monumental collection conceived to illustrate Europe’s most important fortified cities and defensive systems during the golden age of military engineering.
The plan offers an impeccable geometric view of the historic Flemish stronghold of Bergues, located in French Flanders and strategically close to Dunkirk. The drawing maps with absolute precision the formidable modern-style fortifications designed and enhanced by the celebrated military architect Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, detailing the complex arrangement of ravelins, moats, outposts, flood channels and city gates. On the right side of the composition is a dense and comprehensive numbered legend in French, entitled Renvoy, identifying no fewer than forty points of strategic interest, including bastions, barracks, religious buildings and drawbridges. In the upper-left corner, a sumptuous orange Baroque-style drapery cartouche stands out, bearing the city’s geographical coordinates and historical information.
The print is in excellent overall condition. Printed on heavy contemporary paper, it features high-quality watercolor coloring with great sensitivity to color, applied to clearly distinguish the urban areas, waterways and earthen profiles of the defensive bastions. The sheet is notable for its well-preserved, clean margins, free of alterations, and its completely blank verso, making it a cartographic work of extraordinary documentary importance and considerable visual impact for collectors of military architecture and local history.

Dimensions: 24 x 31 cm
It will be shipped by courier.