The firm of Van Keulen was founded around 1678 by Johannes van Keulen (1654-1715) and in 1680 he published the ‘Zee Atlas’. The multi volume ‘Zee Fakkel’ followed soon after. On his 50th birthday he left the management of the firm to his talented son Gerard (1678-1726). Gerard set about replacing many of his father’s sea charts the first of which was published in 1698. This superb rare chart is devoted to the Italian island of Sicily. It is completed with full topographical detail including rivers, mountains and towns. Mount Etna is depicted erupting. This example is from the third part of ‘De Nieuwe Groote Lichtende Zee-Fakkel’ dated 1724 which covered the Mediterranean Sea. This chart was first introduced into the third volume in 1723. De Vries, Schilder etc. ‘The Van Keulen Cartography Amsterdam 1680-1885’, pp. 44 & 202-5; Koeman IV p. 376 no. 313 st. 2.