Scarce map of Bulgaria And Romania, the Balkans with Stunning Original Colour.

Valk, Gerardium & Leonardum. Bulgaria & Romania. "Bulgaria et Romania, divisa in singulares Saniac atus Silistriam, Nicopolin, Bordinum, Sardiam, Bysantium, Kirkeliam et Gallipolin, una cum finitimis Regionibus Valachia, Servia etc.." Amsterdam. Valk, Gerard and Leonard. c1702
Copper engraved map of the Balkans, Bulgaria & Romania by Gerard and Leonard Valk. Original full wash colour; verso blank.
The map first appeared in Schenk and Valk's "Atlantis Sylloge Compendiosa," c.1702.
The map focuses on the countries of Bulgaria & Romania but also shows part of the neighbouring countries; towns heightened in red, including Thessaloniki. Good dark impression with bright original full wash colour; light toning at centre fold from glue of guard; short tear at right centre fold just entering printed area and another just below, both repaired with archival tape to verso; old ink numberto corner & verso.
The maps of Schenk and Valk are famous for their full wash colour, however often the pigments, particularly in the greens deteriorated leading to browning and eventually causing the paper to crack, for this reason it is unusual to see such bright original colour.

Gerard Valck or Gerardus Valk 1652 - 1726; Leonardus Valk 1675-1746

Gerard Valck and his son Leonard were Dutch engravers, globe makers and publishers active in Amsterdam at end of the 17th century; they were in business with Pieter Schenk who was a pupil of Gerard and later married the Valks sister in 1686. Leonard Valck kept the family further united by marrying his first cousin Maria Schenk in 1710.

In 1686 a privilege is granted to Petrus Schenck and Gerardus Valck for the printing & sale of their prints.
The Valck and Schenk families where active as print sellers, publishers and printers of maps, atlases and architectural drawings as well globes. They accquired plates from the stock of Johannes Janssonius and also of Visscher reissuing several maps of Janssonius' "Atlas Novus "from 1683-94 and published an Atlas titled" Nova totius Geographia" in 1702.

The best known of the joint Pieter Schenk & Gerard Valck publications were the second edition of Andreas Cellarius's " Celestial Atlas Harmonia Macrocosmica'" 1708 and an edition of Jan Jansson's "Novus Atlas" entitled the "Atlas Anglois" published in London by David Mortier in 1715.

Pieter Schenck and Gerard Valk's earliest cartographic productions were a number of maps after Nicolas Sanson published in a composite Atlas, "Atlas Contractus or Atlas Minor" c.1696. He also published a further composite Atlas, "Atlantis Sylloge Compendiosa," c.1702.

In 1702 Gerard Valck became a member of the guild of book dealers and was immediately elected leader of the guild. The same year, they bought engraved plates Nicolas Visscher who had died.
In 1709, his son Leonard bought all the plates of Frederik de Wit from his widow .
After the death of Gerard Valck in 1726, his widow and his son Leonard with his cousin Petrus Schennk II continued the business, eventually passing it to Petrus Schenk Jr.
Koeman III, p138, Map no 24. 597 by 491mm (23½ by 19¼ inches).   ref: 2768  €500