Within the legend, the dates 1492 and 1499 have been re-engraved to correct a recurring error from earlier issues and transferred from Visscher’s companion double-hemisphere world map of 1638. The present example is the fifth and final state of the map, identified by the inclusion of the date ‘1652’.

’s projection, with a grid of latitudes and longitudes, dissected by the Equator and the meridian running through the middle of the Atlantic. The design retains some cartographical myths, such as Greenland as attached to North America, a great south land 'Magellanica sive Terra Australis Incognita', and the Strait of Anian linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Newer additions are apparent such as: the 'discovery' of Hudson's Bay, the course of the St. Lawrence River, the Straits of Jacob Le Maire and Ferdinand Magellan appear, as well as the early Dutch 'discoveries' in what would be confirmed as northern Australia extend towards New Guinea. California appears correctly as a peninsula, but the extended Californian coastline continues northwards to the Straits of Anian, only a few short miles from northeast Asia. Two small polar projections appear in each corner, re-stating the existence of the Straits of Magellan, Le Maire, and Anian.

Double-page engraved copperplate map, on a Mercator projection, surrounded by vignettes, with contemporary hand-colour in full.

Created by Claesz Janszoon Visscher, a prolific map publisher from the Dutch Golden Age of 

, the 'Twelve Caesars' map was first issued in 1639 as a broadsheet. The map was larger than many of the folio atlases of its day, so its inclusion was often limited to composite atlases or in tall paper examples of Visscher’s '

 Minor', which contributes considerably to its scarcity. Its large decorative border encompasses almost as much surface area the map itself, encompassed by equestrian portraits of the 'Twelve Caesars', as well as allegorical figures representing the continents, and figures in contemporary costume. A decorative cartouche in the upper left details the discoveries of Columbus, Vespucci, Ferdinand Magellan, Francis Drake, 

, Sebald De Weert, George Spilberg, and Jacob Le Maire.

 on the latter’s monumental world map printed on twenty plates. Blaeu also published a number of Visscher’s individual etchings from designs by David Vinckboons (1576–c.1632), who may have trained Visscher. This was one of the last maps published by Visscher before his death later in 1652.

The original engraver of this map was probably Pieter Goos (1615–1675) who produced and signed the companion double-hemisphere world map published a year earlier in a similar style. Goos would go on to publish one of the most influential marine atlases of the Dutch Golden Age.

Claesz Janszoon Visscher’s 'Twelve Caesars' world map is larger than many of the folio atlases of its day, so its inclusion was often limited to composite atlases or in tall paper examples of Visscher’s '

 Minor', which contributed considerably to its scarcity. The border decoration occupies as much space on the broadsheet as the map image itself.

Visscher's 'Twelve Caesars' World Map