17th Century Willem Blaue - Colored Engraving Map

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Willem Janszoon Blaeu Navarra Regnum Colored Engraving Map Circa 1635

Dimensions: Sight 16 1/2" x 19 3/4"; Frame 23" x … Read more Willem Janszoon Blaeu Navarra Regnum Colored Engraving Map Circa 1635

Dimensions: Sight 16 1/2" x 19 3/4"; Frame 23" x 26 3/4"

COMMENTS: Circa 1635 - Willem Blaue is considered the greatest Dutch cartographer of all time. His maps are stunningly illustrated, filled with marvelous details, and are far more collectible (and valuable) than those by most of his contemporaries

The 17th century was probably the most important period in the making of modern Europe. It was during this time that Galileo and Newton founded modern science. It was also a time when cartographers drew inspiration from explorers and with the help and vision of publishers produced outstanding maps of Europe and the rest of the world in a manner that was more refined than ever before.
The 17th century witnessed the birth of colonization, with several countries competing for wealth and power in America and Asia. The Dutch, French, Spanish, Portuguese, English, and others, all struggled to maintain and extend colonies and trading posts in distant corners of the globe. This also necessitated the mapping of new sea routes and hence new lands that had earlier been ignored by mapmakers.
It is not surprising therefore, that the names of so many cartographers, printers and publishers appear in the history of the 17th century. One man to whom we owe a great debt for his incredible contribution to the publishing of maps is Joan Blaeu, the eldest son of Willem Janszoon Blaeu. It was under the control of Joan that the Blaeu printing press achieved lasting fame by moving towards the printing of maps and expanding to become the largest printing press in Europe in the 17th century.
Until the late 1620s, the Mercator maps published by Jodocus Hondius II dominated the European market for world atlases. However, following the latter's death in 1629, and the growing competition in publishing sea charts and pilot books, the Blaeu business seized its opportunity to publish a grand world atlas.

This decorative 17th Century folio sized map of the Spanish region of Navarre is oriented west and includes sections of the Basque and Aragon Regions as well as southern France. By placing the region of Navarre in the center of the map Bleau was able to include the boundaries of other regions and kingdoms using dotted and colored lines. On the right side of the map is the important French port city of Bayonne. Also shown is the port of Donostia - San Sebastián in the Basque Region. The respective coat of arms is shown for each of the regions. Above them all in the upper left corner is the Navarre coat of arms. Blaeu also depicts geographical features like forests and sprawling mountain ranges, which almost entirely surround the Navarre region. The map features a colored title cartouche in the lower left corner with Spaniards holding swords, rifles and even a drum. To the right and flanked by friezes is a cartouche showing distance in Spanish miles. See less