Willem Blaeu
Encyclopedia
Willem Janszoon Blaeu also abbreviated to Willem Jansz. Blaeu, was a Dutch
cartographer, atlas maker and publisher.
Blaeu was born at Uitgeest
or Alkmaar
. As the son of a well-to-do herring
salesman, he was destined to succeed his father in the trade, but his interests lay more in Mathematics
and Astronomy
. Between 1594 and 1596 as a student of the Danish
astronomer
Tycho Brahe
he qualified as an instrument and globe
maker.
Once he returned to the Netherlands
, he made country maps and world globes, and as he possessed his own printing works, he was able to regularly produce country maps in an atlas format, some of which appeared in the Atlas Novus published in 1635. In 1633 he was appointed map-maker of the Dutch East India Company
. He was also an editor and published the works of Willebrord Snell, Adriaan Metius
, Gerhard Johann Vossius
and the historian and poet Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
. He died in Amsterdam
.
He had two sons, Johannes
and Cornelis Blaeu
, who continued their father's mapmaking and publishing business after his death in 1638. Prints of the family's works are still sold today. Original maps are rare collector items.
One of Blaeu's globes was purchased at auction by Maarten Magielse, a Dutch salesman, for the record price of 60.000 euro, about $80.000. Magielse is now renting it to the globe museum in Vienna, where it is being exhibited.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
cartographer, atlas maker and publisher.
Uitgeest
Uitgeest is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-Population centres :The municipality of Uitgeest consists of the following cities, towns, villages and/or districts: Assum, Busch en Dam, Groot Dorregeest, Uitgeest....
or Alkmaar
Alkmaar
Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...
. As the son of a well-to-do herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
salesman, he was destined to succeed his father in the trade, but his interests lay more in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
. Between 1594 and 1596 as a student of the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
he qualified as an instrument and globe
Globe
A globe is a three-dimensional scale model of Earth or other spheroid celestial body such as a planet, star, or moon...
maker.
Once he returned to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, he made country maps and world globes, and as he possessed his own printing works, he was able to regularly produce country maps in an atlas format, some of which appeared in the Atlas Novus published in 1635. In 1633 he was appointed map-maker of the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
. He was also an editor and published the works of Willebrord Snell, Adriaan Metius
Metius
Adriaan Adriaanszoon, called Metius, , was a Dutch geometer and astronomer. He was born in Alkmaar. The name Metius comes from the Dutch word meten , and therefore means something like "measurer" or "surveyor."-Father and brother:Metius was born at Alkmaar, North Holland...
, Gerhard Johann Vossius
Gerhard Johann Vossius
thumb|180px|Gerrit Johan VossiusGerrit Janszoon Vos , often known by his Latin name Gerardus Vossius, was a Dutch classical scholar and theologian.-Life:...
and the historian and poet Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft
Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft - Knight in the Order of Saint Michael - was a Dutch historian, poet and playwright from the period known as the Dutch Golden Age.-Life:...
. He died in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
He had two sons, Johannes
Joan Blaeu
Joan Blaeu was a Dutch cartographer.He was born in Alkmaar, the son of cartographer Willem Blaeu.In 1620 he became a doctor of law but he joined the work of his father. In 1635 they published the Atlas Novus in two volumes...
and Cornelis Blaeu
Blaeu
Blaeu is the name of* Willem Janszoon Blaeu or Willem Blaeu, Dutch cartographer not to be confused with Willem Janszoon, a contemporary Dutch explorer* his sons Joan Blaeu and Cornelius Blaeu, cartographers...
, who continued their father's mapmaking and publishing business after his death in 1638. Prints of the family's works are still sold today. Original maps are rare collector items.
One of Blaeu's globes was purchased at auction by Maarten Magielse, a Dutch salesman, for the record price of 60.000 euro, about $80.000. Magielse is now renting it to the globe museum in Vienna, where it is being exhibited.
External links
- Galileo Project facts on Willem Blaeu
- Volume 1 of Atlas Novus
- Map of Asia
- Maps of Scotland
- Map of Livonia (present-day Estonia and Latvia)
- World map by Willem Blaeu (high resolution zoomable scan)