1680 Nieuwe Zeekaart Van t' Eerste Gedeelst Van t' canaal Tusschen Engeland en Vrankryk

This strikingly beautiful sea chart of the English Channel vividly renders the Channel between Sussex and Kent and Picardie in France. The map is oriented to the west, perhaps in part to depict the area’s dangerous shoals, shallows and rocks which could easily sink seagoing vessels of the era. Van Keulen’s chart illustrates these perils on both sides of the Channel in great detail, highlighting the dangers along both coasts, and those extending from the coasts into the Channel. Water depths, anchorages and sandbanks are clearly shown, and cities and smaller settlements and ports are named. Rhumb lines radiate from a large number of points, especially in the more westerly area of the Channel. These lines create a grid to assist the cartographer in measuring distance and in more accurately measuring plotting various points on the chart. The resulting charts helped sailors navigate their way and enabled cartographers to reproduce and refine their maps. This sea chart is embellished in the