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This decorative map by Willem Blaeu, published in the early 17th century, depicts the Abruzzo region of central Italy, divided into its two historical provinces: Abruzzo Citra (to the north) and Abruzzo Ultra (to the south). The map highlights the region's mountainous terrain, including the Apennines, along with key rivers, towns, and cities such as L’Aquila, Teramo, and Chieti. The Adriatic coastline is prominently featured, with ports and settlements along its edge.
The upper-right corner features an elaborate cartouche adorned with coats of arms and allegorical figures, including a mounted knight, a classical female figure, and a hunter with hounds and a slain boar.
Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) was a prominent Dutch geographer and publisher. Born the son of a herring merchant, Blaeu chose not fish but mathematics and astronomy for his focus. He studied with the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, with whom he honed his instrument and globe making skills. Blaeu set up shop in Amsterdam, where he sold instruments and globes, published maps, and edited the works of intellectuals like Descartes and Hugo Grotius. In 1635, he released his atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive, Atlas novus.
Willem died in 1638. He had two sons, Cornelis (1610-1648) and Joan (1596-1673). Joan trained as a lawyer, but joined his father’s business rather than practice. After his father’s death, the brothers took over their father’s shop and Joan took on his work as hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company. Later in life, Joan would modify and greatly expand his father’s Atlas novus, eventually releasing his masterpiece, the Atlas maior, between 1662 and 1672.
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