Nova Et Accuratissima Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula - Joan Blaeu, 1664. (World Map In Color)
This map gives you a full baroque view of the world in two circles. The eastern and western hemispheres float in the center, with clouds, angels and the four seasons around them. It has a rich, detailed look that works well above a desk or sideboard, especially with books, dark wood and brass nearby.
About this map print
This print is based on Joan Blaeu’s double-hemisphere world map Nova et accuratissima totius terrarum orbis tabula, engraved in Amsterdam in the 1660s for his great atlas Atlas Maior, one of the landmark books of the Dutch Golden Age of cartography. The two main circles show the world split between the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia) and the New World (the Americas). Around them Blaeu adds small polar projections and a frame filled with figures and scenes.
At the top, celestial figures sit among the clouds, watching over the hemispheres. At the bottom, the four seasons ride in chariots pulled by different animals and birds, a clear sign that this map was meant to impress people as wall art, not just as a simple reference tool. In the upper corners you can see portraits of the astronomers Galileo Galilei and Tycho Brahe, linking the map directly to the new science and sky-watching of the 17th century.
Inside the circles, Blaeu uses some of the best geographic information of his time. California is drawn as an island, a very popular idea on maps of this period, and the coasts of Australia and New Zealand already show discoveries from Tasman’s voyages, even though large parts of the southern lands are still missing or guessed. The mix of careful coastlines and empty or imagined areas is part of what makes this world map such a classic example of 17th century Dutch cartography, alongside other decorative world maps of the time like Visscher’s Nova Totius Terrarum Orbis.
Craft & finish
This antique world map print is made on hand-processed paper, highlighted with subtle gold and sealed with beeswax for an authentic parchment feel. The surface catches the light softly on the raised parts of the paper, but colors can look a little different from screen to screen.
You can find more prints like this in our Antique Maps collection.
Totius Terrarum Orbis Tabula (Joan Blaeu, 1664.) - Antique World Map
In case your print creases during the travel, as it usually does travel for some time, you can safely warm it up with a hair-dryer, and the wax will melt back right into it. You can also use a lighter, which is a much faster method, but be careful to keep the flame either above the paper or parallel to it (which means holding the paper vertically) so it doesn't smudge or even catch fire. The chance of the print actually creasing is very small, as they are rolled in bubble-wrap and shipped in a cardboard box. Also, be sure to keep the print out of the direct sunlight, as it can melt or fade.
Visit the link below to see more about how our replicas are made, how to display them, and repair the damage:
https://www.artifex-replicas.com/post/about-our-parchment-replicas
