Beschreibung:

Plan von Fort Cumberland auf der insel St. Laurenti [Plan of Fort Cumberland off the Island of St. Lawrence].
Np, circa 1760. Pen and ink, watercolor and gouache on laid paper (19 ¾ x 28 ¼ inches, 500x715 mm). fictional plan of a canadian fort at the time of the french and indian war. This fascinating manuscript map, apparently by a man named Coltz, purports to depict Fort Cumberland on the island of St. Lawrence. While there was never such a fort at that location, it is likely that the artist is referring to Fort Cumberland on the Bay of Fundy in Canada near the St. Lawrence River. Originally named Fort Beausejour, the fort was erected by the French in 1751 and was captured by the British in 1755 and renamed Fort Cumberland. However, the complicated layout of the ramparts and the antiquated (indeed medieval!) design of the buildings suggest that this representation is purely fictional. Accounts of the early exploration of North America and Canada circulated throughout Europe, and it is most likely that this magnificent painted plan was based on these texts, and a fair amount of the artist’s romantic vision. Still, a unique and wonderful original work of art.