In the background is a map of the Netherlands, bearing the lion of Holland. As is often the case in 17th-century maps, north is not at the top but on the right.
The map is inscribed in the right background: 'H(?)AR(E?) GE(R?)WANIC UM / DE NO (O?)RT ZEE'. This is a faulty transcription of 'Mare Germanicum', Latin for the North Sea.
