Marstrand and Carlsten Fortress — Aveelen

A detailed early 18th-century engraving offering a panoramic view of Marstrand, the historic Swedish port town crowned by the formidable Carlsten Fortress.

Engraved by Johannes van den Aveelen. From Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna. Published in Stockholm, 1717.

Marstrand became Swedish following the 1658 Treaty of Roskilde and was protected by the new Carlsten Fortress, begun in 1658 and steadily expanded throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Aveelen's print captures the strategic harbour at the height of Swedish imperial activity in the Skagerrak, with naval and merchant vessels riding at anchor below the fortress.

Copperplate engraving. Very Good.