Insula S. Juan De Puerto Rico Caribes uvel Canibasum Insulae

Amsterdam: Schenk, 1700. unbound. Map. Copper plate engraving with original hand color. Published 1700. Image measures 19" x 22 1/4".<br/> <br/> This rare and beautiful sea chart of the West Indies with north oriented to the left, features the Windward Islands. Puerto Rico to Trinidad and the Coast of Venezuela are included with part of Guiana. The elaborate title cartouche, with mermaids and mermen, is finely painted with original coloring. The scale cartouche features an indigenous trader with coils of tobacco and packages ready for transport. Engraved after Jansson.<br> <br> Petrus Schenk (c.1660-1711) was a German engraver and cartographer. He began his training in Amsterdam in the art of mezzotint and soon began working closely with Gerard Valck. The two took advantage of the bustling cartographic trade in the city and quickly expanded their business from portraits and prints into maps and globes. In 1700, Schenk grew the business further by moving to Leipzig, Germany and opening a shop. As his sons and grandson returned to the Netherlands to become active engravers as well, the Schenk firm developed into one of the best-known publishing houses in 18th-century Amsterdam. This map attests to Schenk's prolific production and skill in both cartographic artistry and business.<br/> <br/>