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). This particular chart depicts the waters between Sicily and Africa and is centred on the islands of Malta and Gozo. An inset lower right features the harbour of Valletta. This example is from the third part of ‘De Nieuwe Groote Lichtende Zee-Fakkel’ dated 1724 which covered the Mediterranean Sea. According to De Vries and Schilder it was introduced into the third volume in 1734. De Vries, Schilder etc. ‘The Van Keulen Cartography Amsterdam 1680-1885’, pp. 44 & 202-5; Ganado “The Maltese Islands in Flemish cartography”, in ‘Mappae Antiquae Liber Amicorum Gunter Schilder’ pp. 139-42 fig. 21; Koeman IV p. 391 no. 108 st. 2; Koeman ‘The Sea on Paper’ p. 37-8 no. 11.