Van Keulen & De L'Isle — West Africa Charts c.1700
Van Keulen & De L'Isle — West Africa Charts c.1700
Sea charts of the West African coast produced collaboratively by the Van Keulen hydrographic firm and the French royal geographer Guillaume De L'Isle. The combination of Dutch maritime precision with French cartographic rigor produced the most accurate charts of the West African coast available to European navigators in the early 18th century — essential references for both the VOC trade routes and the transatlantic slave trade then at its height.
About The Van Keulen Family (active 1678–1885)
The Van Keulen family operated the most important Dutch nautical publishing firm for more than two centuries. Founded by Johannes van Keulen I (1654–1715) in Amsterdam in 1678 at the house "De Gekroonde Lootsman" (The Crowned Pilot), the firm was continued by his son Gerard (1678–1726), appointed official hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company in 1714 — a position the Van Keulens held until the VOC's liquidation.
About the Work
De Nieuwe Groote Lichtende Zee-Fakkel ("The New Great Illuminating Sea Torch") was published in five volumes 1681–1685, later expanded to six volumes in 1753 covering the East Indies. The firm produced working sea charts for Dutch merchant and naval navigators worldwide, from West Africa to Japan. Charts are distinguished by figurative title cartouches, distance-scale cartouches, and decorative compass roses.
Scarcity & Market Context
Complete Zee-Fakkel atlases are extremely rare; individual Van Keulen charts appear regularly at specialist dealers (Sanderus, Bergbook, Reiss & Sohn) in the $400–$2,500+ range depending on subject and condition. African coast charts (Gambia, Senegal, Morocco, Angola) are particularly scarce in the private market with original hand-coloring.
Institutional Holdings
Complete copies at the Maritime Museum (Rotterdam), the Koninklijke Bibliotheek, the British Library, and major East India Company archives worldwide.
Dimensions
Sheet approximately 20 × 23 inches
Frame: This piece ships unframed — the sheet or plate only. We can recommend framers in your area or ship to your preferred framer. Professional framing with archival materials typically runs $150–$400 depending on size and finish.
Shipping Terms
Shipping costs vary by product, packaging requirements, destination, carrier, and insurance value. We do not use flat-rate shipping because antique prints, maps, paintings, and books each require different packing — some ship flat between archival boards, some ship rolled, some require custom-built crates with shock absorption, and framed pieces need extra protection for glass and corners.
How our shipping process works:
- You place your order (shipping is calculated as $0 at checkout)
- We prepare a custom shipping quote for your destination — typically within 24 hours
- We contact you to confirm carrier options (USPS, UPS, FedEx, DHL), insurance value, and delivery timeline
- Once you approve the shipping quote, we send a separate invoice for shipping
- We pack with archival-grade materials and insure at full value
Questions on shipping before you buy? Contact us with your zip code (or international address) and we'll provide a quote before you commit to purchase.
Important Buyer Notice
These pieces are antique originals, ranging from approximately 100 to over 400 years old. Each piece will show varying degrees of age-appropriate condition: paper toning, foxing, edge wear, fold marks, minor restoration, light staining, and other natural signs of age are common and expected for works of this period. Condition varies from piece to piece.
It is the buyer's responsibility to confirm that the piece is in the condition they require before purchase. We are always happy to answer any questions about the state of the work, provide additional photographs of specific areas, describe any flaws or repairs in detail, or arrange a video review before you buy. Please contact us at any time with questions — we believe an informed buyer is the best customer.
All pieces are guaranteed authentic originals (not reproductions, facsimiles, or modern prints). We offer a full refund if authenticity is ever disputed by a qualified third party.