The map was engraved by Joannes van Doetecum in 1594, as per the title and his inscription lower left, issued as a separate publication, probably in the following year, and was later included in Hugo van Linschoten’s travel work, the ‘Itinerario’ (1599). 



 (1552-1622), or Pieter Platevoet (Flatfoot), a devout Protestant was, as a young man, an itinerant preacher, but by 1578 had settled in Brussels and become a Calvinist. In 1585, fearing persecution for his religious beliefs, he fled to Amsterdam, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. His first work as a cartographer was to prepare five maps for the Dutch Bible of 1590. One of these maps, his double-page world map, ‘Orbis Terrarum Typus de Integro Multis in Locis Emendatus Auctore Petro Plancio 1594’, was not actually included in the Bible, but issued separately. It shows the four possible sailing routes to the lucrative markets in Southeast Asia. Plancius, an original investor in the VOC, became their first hydrographer, and was soon supplying both navigational and star charts, based on the observations of the ships’ pilots, for the expeditions following these routes. Plancius eventually identified twenty new southern constellations, most of which were not adopted by other cartographers or astronomers. However, two of them are still referenced today: Monoceros (the Unicorn), and Camelopardalis (Giraffe). 

Geographically, the map has been compiled from several sources. Probably, the main source is 

’ own wall map of the world issued in 1592 accounting for his new distinctive shape of North and South America. Plancius had also acquired a collection of maps from the Portuguese mapmaker, Bartolomeu Lasso, which together with the maps of Luís Teixeira, gave him access to the geography of Asia and the Far East, allowing him to show a far more detailed geography of the region, including Japan and the portrayal of the Korean Peninsula on a map for the first time. His mapping of the North Pole was based on 

, showing it as four separate islands and with a clear delineation of the geographical misconceptions of the Northeast and the Northwest Passages just south of these ‘islands’. Plancius was a fervent advocate of commercial expansion to the East and kept abreast of searches for both passages. He was also known to have been a friend of Henry Hudson who later gave his name to Hudson Bay.

The allegorical figures on its borders represent various landmasses known to Plancius. In time, these would be standardised to show the four known landmasses of Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas but in this early case, the first three are labelled on the upper border but the lower border is dedicated to the 

, divided into the regions of Peruana, Magallanica and Mexicana, reflecting a lack of common conventions for the nomenclature at the time.

 (1552–1622) was a Calvinist minister resident in Flanders who was forced to escape to Amsterdam to avoid religious persecution in the late sixteenth century. In Amsterdam, he entered the field of cartography, publishing, and globemaking. He formed a network of collaborators, including Johannes van Doetecum, probably the finest engraver in Amsterdam during the last decade of the sixteenth century and Christophe Plantin, one of the foremost map sellers and publishers of the time. Most importantly, he was a fervent advocate of Dutch expansion in the east and became one of the founding members of the Dutch East India Company. Later this would give him unrivalled access to cartographical information concerning that region of the world.

This map was engraved in 1594 and marked an extraordinary advance for the aesthetics of maps. For the first time, a Dutch map portrayed illustrated borders. No doubt Plancius was mindful of the commercial aspect of his maps and the illustrations were inspired and stylistically influenced by the images produced by the German publisher Theodore De Bry, in his popular ‘Grand’ and ‘Petit Voyages’. These were accounts of great explorers and their deeds in both the east and the west and Plancius would certainly be aware of both their existence and success. These cartographic illustrations caused such a sensation and proved so popular that they became a standard feature on the majority of world maps during the Dutch Golden Age; and if they were not allegorical figures of landmasses as featured on this map, then they were variations on a theme, such as classical figures, images of famous mapmakers, or often allegorical figures representing seasons or elements. Later Dutch mapmakers were endlessly inventive with their decorative features but ultimately, the initial concept can be traced to this map.

This highly decorative map was a sensation when it was released. It was the first time that a Dutch map had featured such elaborate illustrations. 

' extraordinary aesthetics were hugely popular and set the standard for most of the maps that followed from the Dutch ‘Golden Age’ of mapmaking.

The pictures surrounding this world map were inspired by images from Theodore de Bry, a German publisher. His popular ‘Big Voyages’ and ‘Small Voyages’ were accounts of European exploration in both the East and the West.

Shown here in beautiful original colour are allegorical figures of the landmasses known to Plancius. Europe, Africa, and Asia are depicted at the top of the map, and the 

 is depicted at the bottom. The detailed illustrations feature flora, fauna, and people from each landmass. Between the two hemispheres of the map are finely rendered diagrams of the northern and southern constellations.

A highly decorative map, marking an extraordinary advance for the aesthetics of maps: the first time a Dutch map was surrounded by an illustrated border. These cartographic illustrations caused such a sensation and proved so popular that they became a standard feature on the majority of world maps during the Dutch Golden Age

Double-page, hand-coloured, engraved copperplate double-hemisphere map of the world.


Plancius's World Map