Views of Copenhagen, Frederiksborg & Bergen, c. 1720 - Henri Chatelain
€175
- Cartographer
- Henri Chatelain
- Date
- c. 1720
- Publication
- Amsterdam, Atlas Historique
- Original title
- Carte de l’État du Royaume de Dannemarck et diverses observations pour conduire à l’intelligence de l’histoire et du gouvernement de ce royaume
- Subject
- Copenhagen, Frederiksborg Castle and Bergen
- Medium
- Coloured copper engraving
- Engraving dimensions (cm)
- 34 × 44.3
- Paper dimensions (cm)
- 45.2 × 52
- Condition
- Good, with light paper discolouration
About this piece
A coloured copper engraving from Henri Chatelain’s Atlas Historique, published in Amsterdam around 1720. Three views bring together places in the historic Kingdom of Denmark. The Copenhagen panorama occupies the centre, with the harbour, fortifications and city spires in view. Frederiksborg Castle and Bergen give the two other views quite different subjects.
The pairing of a royal residence with two harbour cities shows the range of a single Atlas Historique sheet. Chatelain’s reader could move from the buildings and shoreline to the columns of French text below, where the kingdom is described through its government, nobility and principal offices. The central Copenhagen view is shown in close-up in the gallery photograph.
Frederiksborg provides a courtly counterpart to the two seaports. A reader could compare the profile of a royal residence with the dense waterfronts of Copenhagen and Bergen, then move below to the written account of the kingdom. The sheet preserves that intended movement between image and text.
The engraving measures 34 × 44.3 cm on a 45.2 × 52 cm sheet. The paper is in good condition, with light paper discolouration.