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1630 Willem Janszoon Blaeu
$ 3,400.00
Description

Nice example of Blaeu's decorative map of Europe.

The map shows 9 major European Cities across the top and indigeneous costumes along the sides. The body of the map is richly embellished by sailing ships, sea monsters, animals and other curiosa.

Condition Description
Old Color. Minor repairs near lower centerfold, with a small amount of restoration and soiling at lower centerfold, primarily in the blank margins. Margins extended at left and right for framing.
Willem Janszoon Blaeu Biography

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.