Prince Maurits' sailing carriages had been designed by Simon Stevin. The Prince, always accessible to new inventions of his old instructor, could not please the foreign ambassadors more than by inviting them for a ride in his carriage. The big sailing-carriage could seat 28 persons and could reach a speed of seven miles per hour. Land sailing : The Chinese had "wind-driven carriages" since the 6th century AD, during the Liang Dynasty, and eventually mounted masts and sails on large wheelbarrows....

This large engraving (560x920mm.) comes from a are series of 25 beautiful large views of Amsterdam and gives a colorful picture of the life and business of the city at the beginning of the 18th century. The print gives a view of the cityscape and architecture of that time. It also shows daily manners and customs and all kinds of scenes take place; There is a fight to the left of the bridge in the foreground (now Prins Hendrik Kade), while in front of the Scheierstoren quiet citizens read the not...

A bird's-eye view of the town. With extensive shipping in the foreground. From "Topographia Germaniae Inferioris". Matthäus Merian, the leading German illustrator of the 17th century, was born in Basel in 1593. He learned the art of copperplate engraving in Zurich and subsequently worked and studied in Strasbourg, Nancy, Paris, and the Low Countries. In 1618 he went to Frankfurt, wherein 1618 he marries the eldest daughter of J.T. de Bry, publisher and engraver. After de Bry died in 1623, he ...

This map shows Holland in great detail, including small towns, walled cities, rivers and lakes (many of which were reclaimed in the 17th century, and no longer exist). A coat of arms is in the upper left corner of the map image. In the ocean, there are many sailing ships and smaller fishing boats. An intricate compass rose is in the upper middle area. A very decorative map of the Dutch provinces of Friesland, Groningen and Drente and of the German Province of Friesland.