Rare 17thC Justus Danckerts London Great Fire 1666 Hand-Coloured Map

Rare and highly interesting 17th-century hand-coloured engraved view of London attributed to the Dutch mapmaker and publisher Justus Danckerts (1635–1701), depicting the city during the Great Fire of London of 1666.

The panoramic prospect is headed “LONDINUM CELEBERRIMUM ANGLIA EMPORIUM” with “LONDON” below, and shows the City across the River Thames engulfed in smoke and flames. The detailed foreground includes the Thames, shipping and the historic buildings of London, providing a remarkable visual record of the capital at one of the most significant moments in its history.

This is the Great Fire version, considerably more unusual and historically evocative than the more commonly encountered non-fire prospect of London bearing the same principal title. Early cataloguing of London views records a Danckerts engraving specifically as “London. Showing the City in flames.”

The work was purchased from The Parker Gallery, 2 Albemarle Street, London, on 16 September 1948, according to the original label. The Parker Gallery was an established London dealer specialising in old prints, paintings, topography and maps.

Image size: approximately 40 × 51 cm.

Presented in an attractive glazed period-style frame. Frame 71 x 60cm

A fascinating piece of early London topographical history and an especially desirable subject for collectors of antique maps, London history, cartography and Great Fire material