EYTZINGER, MICHAEL VON. Leo Belgicus. [Cologne, 1586]. Engraved full-sheet map, 368 x 444 mm. (14½ x 17 7/16 in.), laid down on paper, three neatly repaired tears into image, 3½ in. and smaller, borders just shaved in places, slight loss to upper left corner, trifling wear at old folds with one or two small separations, matted . Second state of the prototype map of the Leo Belgicus series, showing the Low Countries in the shape of a lion, from Eytzinger's De Leone Belgico , editions of 1586 through 1618, fully hand-colored. "Since virtually each of the Dutch provinces bears a lion in its coat of arms, von Aitzing [or Eytzinger] gave the book he wrote on the history of Belgium and the Netherlands from 1559 until 1583... the lion for a symbol. In the texts between the lion's legs von Aitzing relates his own experiences in the war between Philip II and Henry II in 1558/59. The characters MARIA, within the frame with the dates beneath, are short for the names of the governors 'to whom the Spanish king had entrusted the administration of his Leo Belgicus between 1559 and 1579' (probably the year in which the map was engraved)..."--H. A. M. van der Heijden, Leo Belgicus, an illustrated and annotated Carto-Bibliography (Alphen aan den Rijn 1990), no. 1.2. (See also lot 141).
EYTZINGER, MICHAEL VON. Leo Belgicus. [Cologne, 1586]. Engraved full-sheet map, 368 x 444 mm. (14½ x 17 7/16 in.), laid down on paper, three neatly repaired tears into image, 3½ in. and smaller, borders just shaved in places, slight loss to upper left corner, trifling wear at old folds with one or two small separations, matted . Second state of the prototype map of the Leo Belgicus series, showing the Low Countries in the shape of a lion, from Eytzinger's De Leone Belgico , editions of 1586 through 1618, fully hand-colored. "Since virtually each of the Dutch provinces bears a lion in its coat of arms, von Aitzing [or Eytzinger] gave the book he wrote on the history of Belgium and the Netherlands from 1559 until 1583... the lion for a symbol. In the texts between the lion's legs von Aitzing relates his own experiences in the war between Philip II and Henry II in 1558/59. The characters MARIA, within the frame with the dates beneath, are short for the names of the governors 'to whom the Spanish king had entrusted the administration of his Leo Belgicus between 1559 and 1579' (probably the year in which the map was engraved)..."--H. A. M. van der Heijden, Leo Belgicus, an illustrated and annotated Carto-Bibliography (Alphen aan den Rijn 1990), no. 1.2. (See also lot 141).
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.jpg "Source: Christie's")
.jpg "Source: Christie's")
