Belgium - Sonian Forest / Brabant; Antonius Sanderus (1586 – 1664) - Silva Sonia Vulgo Sonien Bosch - 1661-1680

Magnificent and monumental 17th/18th-century cartographic map of the Forest of Soignes (Silva Sonia) near Brussels, copper-engraved for the celebrated work by Antonius Sanderus and preserved in splendid black and white.

This imposing and exceptionally detailed chorographic map, titled “Silva Sonia Vulgo Sonien Bosch” at the top, is a landmark of Belgian cartography. It was conceived by the celebrated historian and theologian Antonius Sanderus (1586–1664) and originally drawn by Jacob van Werden. Printed in Brussels for inclusion in the grand work Chorographia Sacra Brabantiae, the map was commissioned to chart the vast Forest of Soignes with scientific rigor and devotion: the green lung of the Duchy of Brabant and the spiritual heart of the region, given the many monasteries and abbeys nestled among its trees.
The composition stands out for a fascinating cartographic peculiarity: its orientation is reversed by modern standards, with south at the top of the sheet and north at the bottom. In the lower right corner, the fortified perimeter of the city of Brussels is clearly visible, from which an intricate network of paths, waterways, and roads branches out into the forest toward Waterloo. The surface is enriched with dense engraving that depicts each individual rise in the terrain and cluster of trees, highlighting the religious complexes set apart in the greenery. The decorative scheme is exceptionally grand in its Baroque style: two enormous, lavish coats of arms adorned with plumed helmets dominate the upper corners, while the lower right corner features a monumental tombstone-shaped cartouche held by cherubs. It bears the official dedication to King Philip IV of Spain and includes an explanatory alphabetical key for identifying Brussels’s main city gates.
The print is in excellent overall condition. Printed on sturdy period paper with a watermark, it retains exceptionally crisp, clean, high-contrast black-and-white inking, making it possible to read the hundreds of Flemish microtoponyms scattered across the landscape. The sheet shows the typical central fold from its original binding in the volume, has sound, stable margins, and a completely blank verso. This is a highly prestigious and iconographically rare collector’s piece, ideal for collectors of Brabant’s history and Flemish cartography.

Dimensions: 48 x 48 cm
It will be shipped by courier.