Willem Janszoon Blaeu

Cartographer and publisher Willem Janszoon Blaeu was among the most acclaimed mapmakers of the Dutch Golden Age, renowned for his accuracy and depiction of cutting-edge geographic knowledge. His career began under the mentorship of renowned astronomer Tycho Brahe. In 1599, he created his first globe, and by 1605, he had opened his own workshop in Amsterdam. He acted as the official mapmaker of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

Carefully copied versions of his maps appear in several of Johannes Vermeer’s paintings. Willem Janzoon Blaeu trained his sons, and they soon joined him at the firm. When he died in 1638, his eldest son, Joan Blaeu assumed the lead.

In 1662, Joan Blaeu built upon his father’s ‘Atlas Novus’ (1635) to create the comprehensive ‘Atlas Maior’, which became renowned as a prestigious collector’s item.