Kaart van Brugge en de waterwegen

The central focus of the painting is a plan of Bruges, illustrating its network of streets and canals. The inclusion of the city’s coat of arms underscores civic identity, while the putto—a classical symbol of innocence and patronage—suggests a celebratory or commemorative purpose, possibly linked to a civic event or a private commission.

Rendered in oil, the map balances vivid and subdued hues, allowing fine details of the urban layout to emerge against a decorative border. Elements such as a compass rose and ornamental motifs frame the composition, reflecting the early‑18th‑century taste for elegant, embellished cartographic art that blended utility with aesthetic refinement.

Created in 1714, the painting has remained associated with Bruges, eventually entering the holdings of the Groeningemuseum. Its survival within a public institution indicates its value as both an artistic and historical document of the city’s geography during the early modern period.