This wonderful old map of Belgium and Netherlands was originally published in 1611. It was created by Claes Janszoon Visscher.
The Leo Belgicus was a map design shaped like a lion that featured present-day Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and northern France. The shape of the lion derives from the 17 provinces, where the lion was found in the majority of the cities and provinces' coats of arms, and to this day, the lion is the national animal of the Netherlands.
This beautiful map has those 17 coats of arms at the top, and on the sides features landscape drawings of 20 of the main cities and regions at the time, including Luxemburg, Utrecht and Brussels.
This map looks great at all sizes: 12x16in (30.5x41cm), 16x20in (40.5x51cm), 18x24in (45.5x61cm), 24x30in (61x76cm), 32x40in (81.5x102cm), 40x50in (102x127cm), 48x60in (122x153cm) and 56x70in (142x178cm), but it looks even better when printed large.
I can create beautiful, large prints of this map up to 110in (280cm). Please get in touch if you're looking for larger, customised or different framing options.
The model in the listing images is holding the 20x16in (50.8x40.7cm) version of this map.
The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.
Please note the unframed 24x30in (61x76cm) map has white edges around the map. These edges can help you with framing, or if you don’t need them they are very easy to snip off with scissors. All other maps, including the framed maps, look exactly like the listing images.
The labels on this map are very small at 12x16in (30.5x41cm). The map is still very attractive, but you may struggle to read the smallest letters. Please buy a larger map if it's important to be able to read the map easily.
If you’re looking for something slightly different, another option would be this amazing map of Low Countries by John Speed in 1627.
The locations on this map include: Antwerp, Brussels, Genk, Luxembourg, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Dordrecht, Deventer and Middelburg.
Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.
This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving or housewarming gift for someone interested in Belgium and Netherlands or someone who has visited the Low Countries.
This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.