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Nice old color example of Blaeu's map of Liguria (Republic of Genoa), first published in Amsterdam in 1640.
The map provides a highly detailed look at the rugged coastal terrain of the region. The contiguous coast of the Mediterranean Sea is filled with different types of sailing vessels, a tribute to the trading prowess and international maritime importance of the Republic of Genoa.
Includes an elaborate nautically themed cartouche and decorative coat of arms for the Republic of Genoa.
The map is dedicated to Pieter Pietersz Hasselaer (1582–1651), who served eight terms as the mayor of Amsterdam between 1635 and 1649.
Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) was a prominent Dutch geographer and publisher. Born the son of a herring merchant, Blaeu chose not fish but mathematics and astronomy for his focus. He studied with the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, with whom he honed his instrument and globe making skills. Blaeu set up shop in Amsterdam, where he sold instruments and globes, published maps, and edited the works of intellectuals like Descartes and Hugo Grotius. In 1635, he released his atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive, Atlas novus.
Willem died in 1638. He had two sons, Cornelis (1610-1648) and Joan (1596-1673). Joan trained as a lawyer, but joined his father’s business rather than practice. After his father’s death, the brothers took over their father’s shop and Joan took on his work as hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company. Later in life, Joan would modify and greatly expand his father’s Atlas novus, eventually releasing his masterpiece, the Atlas maior, between 1662 and 1672.
![(Lombardy) Alta Lombardia e stati ad essa circonuicini... [Upper Lombardy and adjacent states]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/92672.jpg)
