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.

To learn more about the history of these pieces and how we craft them in our family workshop, feel free to read our full guide to antique map prints.
 
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.
 
If you are curious about the history behind this piece, we put together a short background on this map for you to read.
 
Craft & finish
Every replica we make is individually hand-processed in our family workshop. We finish the paper with a traditional beeswax seal to give it a warm, heavy texture. Our team also adds subtle gold paint details by hand to help the artwork truly shine. To complete the look, we hand-burn the edges to give each piece the feel of a true historical artifact.
 
While our smaller sizes are perfect for gallery walls, our 43x61 cm Large replica is a museum-scale centerpiece. Because of the size, the hand-processing and beeswax application take much longer. This extra time and care ensures that every centimeter of the historic illustration is preserved with a rich, authentic glow.
 
You can find more prints like this in our Antique Maps collection.