Willem Janszoon Blaeu, Virginiæ partis australis, et Floridæ partis orientalis…, 1640

This seventeenth-century gem by Willem Blaeu is an important and beautifully decorated map of the southeast coast of North America produced at the height of the Golden Age of Dutch cartography. At the time this map was created, the British claims to Virginia included part of present-day North Carolina, while the area outlined in blue on the map was claimed by the French, as indicated by the fleur-de-lis coat of arms, and included part of present-day North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Florida was then part of the Spanish realm.

Based on the Jodocus Hondius map of 1606, Blaeu revised the coastline and the shape of Chesapeake Bay following the explorations of John Smith. New details also include the locations of Jamestown, Newport News, many Indian names, and new names along the coast. Philip Burden also notes, “The greatest improvement occurs in the northern half of the map north of Porto Royal. Whereas on the Hondius [map] the coastline towards C. de. Ste. Romano (present day Cape Fear) veered directly east, Blaeu more correctly takes it north-east, placing the cape closer to its true position of 34 degrees. This span of coastline is approximately that of present-day South Carolina’s. This now presents to us a more accurately proportioned Outer Banks region, radically reduced in size but still slightly too far north. For these improvements, Blaeu drew upon the extremely rare DE EYLANDEN … by Hessel Gerritsz., c. 1631. The Outer Banks combine the placenames of Gerritsz and Hondius, often using two different ones for the same area …” Burden identifies the present map as the second state, as the first state includes no tail on the cherub on the bottom left, holding the scale.

In the 1630s, Willem Blaeu, arguably the most important cartographer of the Dutch Golden Age, conceived a plan to create a massive atlas comprising the most up-to-date maps of the entire known world. The vast project advanced slowly and Willem died before he could complete it. His sons Joan and Cornelius assumed their father’s business, expanding on his ambitious plans. The project finally reached fruition with Joan’s publication in 1662 of the Atlas Maior in 11 volumes containing almost 600 double-page maps. “This was,” according to Moreland and Bannister, “and indeed remains, the most magnificent work of its kind ever produced.” It featured “fine engraving and colouring, elaborate cartouches and pictorial and heraldic detail and especially splendid cartography.” The achievements of the Blaeu dynasty were truly remarkable, and the elegant map offered here is a fine example of Willem’s mastery.