Blaeu

Some of my favourite historical cartographers are Fra Mauro, who created a map of the world in the 13th century; Abraham Ortelius, who created the first modern atlas in 1570; and Joan Blaeu, a Dutchman who published the first heliocentric world map in 1648.

They include a magnificent pair by the exemplar of Dutch Golden Age cartography, Willem Blaeu, whose works figure in some of Vermeer’s paintings.

Created by Joan Blaeu, chief cartographer for the Dutch East India Company, in 1663, the map was displayed briefly in Australia in 2013 when staff did not dare breathe near it lest it crumbled to pieces.

Created by Joan Blaeu, chief cartographer for the Dutch East India Company, in 1663, the map was displayed briefly in Australia in 2013 when staff did not dare breathe near it lest it crumbled to pieces.

Created in 1659 by renowned Dutch cartographer Joan Blaeu, the unique map was thought to have been lost forever.