Pieter Schenk (1661-1711)

Judaea seu Terra Sancta (Judea, or the Holy Land)

circa 1700,

Engraving with exceptionally fine original color

Sheet size: 20 x 24 in.

This finely engraved map of the Holy Land is based on the cartographic work of the French geographer Guillaume Sanson. Depicting the region of ancient Judaea and the wider Holy Land, the map reflects the enduring European fascination with the geography of the Bible and the historical landscape of the Near East. Its carefully delineated topography, network of rivers, and numerous place-names identify cities, settlements, and geographical features associated with the Old and New Testaments, transforming the landscape into a richly detailed geographical record of sacred history.

Produced at the turn of the eighteenth century, the map belongs to the great tradition of Dutch cartography, when Amsterdam remained a leading center for the production and distribution of finely engraved maps. Pieter Schenk, a prominent Amsterdam publisher and engraver, was known for his decorative and carefully executed cartographic works. By adapting Sanson’s influential French geographical model, Schenk brought together French cartographic scholarship and Dutch engraving and publishing expertise. Judaea seu Terra Sancta offers a window into the period’s understanding of biblical geography and the central place of the Holy Land in European religious and intellectual life.