Gerard de Jode
Back to people overviewGerard de Jode was an engraver and prolific publisher of maps and atlases in Antwerp.
He published the engravings of famous artists such as Johannes Wierix and Harmen Muller. De Jode’s greatest work was the ‘Speculum Orbis Terrarum’ published in 1578. The atlas rivalled Abraham Ortelius’ ‘Theatrum Orbis Terrarum’ of 1570.
In 1591, Gerard died and his son, Cornelis de Jode took over his father’s publishing business. Cornelis completed a stunning enlarged edition of his father's atlas, which Gerard had been planning before his death. The atlas includes a series of world map projections and a planisphere inspired by Guillaume Postel. Unfortunately, few original atlases by Gerard de Jode survive, compared to the wealth of work by Abraham Ortelius and Gerard Mercator.
