Joan Blaeu (; 23 September 1596 – 21 December 1673) was a Dutch

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

born in

Alkmaar Alkmaar () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland, about 30 km north of Amsterdam. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination. The ...

, the son of cartographer Willem Blaeu.

Life

In 1620, Blaeu became a doctor of law but he joined the work of his father. In 1635, they published the ''

Atlas Novus An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

'' (full title: ''Theatrum orbis terrarum, sive, Atlas novus'') in two volumes. Joan and his brother Cornelius took over the studio after their father died in 1638. Blaeu became the official cartographer of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

like his father before him. Blaeu died in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

on 21 December 1673. He is buried in the Westerkerk there.

Maps

Blaeu Americae Nova Tabula 1614 (1617) UTA

Blaeu's world map, ''Nova et Accuratissima Terrarum Orbis Tabula,'' incorporating the discoveries of Abel Tasman, was published in 1648. This map was revolutionary in that it "depicts the solar system according to the heliocentric theories of

Nicolaus Copernicus Nicolaus Copernicus (; pl, Mikołaj Kopernik; gml, Niklas Koppernigk, german: Nikolaus Kopernikus; 19 February 1473 – 24 May 1543) was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic Church, Catholic cano ...

, which show the earth revolving around the sun.... Although Copernicus's groundbreaking book ''On the Revolutions of the Spheres'' had been first printed in 1543, just over a century earlier, Blaeu was the first mapmaker to incorporate this revolutionary heliocentric theory into a map of the world." Blaeu's map was copied for the map of the world set into the pavement of the Groote Burger-Zaal of the new Amsterdam Town Hall, designed by the Dutch architect Jacob van Campen (now the

Amsterdam Royal Palace The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam (Dutch: ''Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam'' or ) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament. It is situated on the west side of Dam Square i ...

), in 1655. Blaeu's ''Hollandia Nova'' was also depicted in his ''Archipelagus Orientalis sive Asiaticus'' published in 1659 in the ''Kurfürsten Atlas'' (Atlas of the Great Elector). and used by

Melchisédech Thévenot Melchisédech (or Melchisédec) Thévenot (c. 1620 – 29 October 1692) was a French author, scientist, traveler, cartographer, orientalist, inventor, and diplomat. He was the inventor of the spirit level and is also famous for his popular posthumo ...

to produce his map, ''Hollandia Nova—Terre Australe'' (1664). He also published the 12-volume "Le Grand Atlas, ou Cosmographie blaviane, en laquelle est exactement descritte la terre, la mer, et le ciel". One edition is dated 1663, in folio , that contained 593 engraved maps and plates. Around 1649, Blaeu published a collection of Dutch

city map A city map is a large-scale thematic map of a city (or part of a city) created to enable the fastest possible orientation in an urban space. The graphic representation of objects on a city map is therefore usually greatly simplified, and reduced ...

s named '' Toonneel der Steeden'' (''Views of Cities''). In 1651, he was voted into the

council. In 1654, Blaeu published the first atlas of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, devised by

Timothy Pont Rev Timothy Pont (c. 1560–c.1627) was a Scottish minister, cartographer and topographer. He was the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an a ...

. Being fiercely competitive with his contemporary Johannes Janssonius in who could make an atlas with the higher quantity of maps, Blaeu in 1662 published the ''Atlas Maior'', it had 11 volumes and included 600 maps. This atlas became a status symbol for those who owned it and was the most expensive book of the 17th century. A

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...

was planned as their next project, but a fire destroyed the studio completely in 1672.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blaeu, Joan 17th-century Dutch businesspeople 17th-century Dutch cartographers 1596 births 1673 deaths Articles containing video clips Dutch cartographers Dutch East India Company people People from Alkmaar

Life

Maps

See also

References

External links