The Maps of Bert Twaalfhoven

From the Collections of Fordham University Libraries


14) Totius Neo Belgii, nova et accuratissima tabula. (All of New Netherland Newly and Most Accurately Drawn.) Amsterdam, 1720's


Mapmaker: R. & J. Ottens


The copper plate of this map was produced by Hugo Allardt in the mid-sixteen fifties (c. 1656) as a facsimile plate of Nicholas Visscher's 1651 composite map (New Netherland map and New Amsterdam view). Allard erased the view from the plate in 1673 and etched an entirely new view (the Restitutio View) on it to celebrate the retaking of New Netherland by a fleet of 21 ships under the command of Cornelis Evertsen who retook New York for the Dutch by disembarking 600 soldiers on August 23, 1673. He renamed the city New Orange. The etching was done by Romeyn de Hooghe and the initial 1673 text in the view translates to: "New Amsterdam previously called New York and now recaptured by the Netherlanders on August 24, 1673". The 21 ships are clearly delineated. The baroque cartouche declares grandiloquently the restoration of Dutch power over the New Netherland province. A victorious Athena (goddess of war and peace, guardian of cities, stands amid her supplicants, Indian and European, with a laurel wreath in her outstretched hand. Meanwhile, Hermes, god of commerce and messenger to the Olympians, tilts his caduceus (magic wand) in the direction of tribute-bearing Indians. The view shows clearly the wall (Wall Street), erected against a possible English attack, and built by Stuyvesant at his own cost in 1653. It also depicts Broad Street (then a canal) and Peter Stuyvesant's mansion at the end of Whitehall facing the East River. During the Anglo-Dutch Westminster Peace Treaty of November, 1674, the New Netherland territory was ceded to the English. Ottens bought the plate from Hugo Allard's son, Carolus, and added his name to the cartouche.

About the New Netherland Institute

For over three decades, NNI has helped cast light on America's Dutch roots. In 2010, it partnered with the New York State Office of Cultural Education to establish the New Netherland Research Center, with matching funds from the State of the Netherlands. NNI is registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. More

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