Willem Janszoon Blaeu, Sicilia Regnum (Map of the Kingdom of Sicily), 1635

Blaeu’s map of Sicily is a gorgeous example of mapmaking from the Golden Age of Dutch cartography by perhaps its greatest figure. Willem Blaeu set the standard in the early seventeenth century for quality of engraving, paper, and color, as well as for the accurate depiction of contemporary geography presented in a richly decorative way.

Willem Blaeu’s original engraving, “Sicilia Regnum” (Map of the Kingdom of Sicily) was created in 1635. In his book on the cartography of Willem Janszoon Blaeu, John Goss writes, “Willem Blaeu issued this map of Sicily in 1635. The island had been under the rule of the Spanish line of the Habsburgs since 1479 and the island, together with the neighboring Spanish-ruled parts of Southern Italy, were important suppliers of wheat from the fertile lands on the volcanic soils around Etna. That fertility is symbolized in the figure of Ceres at the lower left, seen holding sheaves of corn. The Royal Arms of Spain are included in the upper left-hand corner.”

Willem Janszoon Blaeu had about 1596 set up business as a maker of instruments and globes, and later as engraver and printer. The mathematical and practical bent of his genius is apparent throughout his work. … He is known in the annals of typography as the inventor of an improved printing press, which increased the printer’s output by a quarter; and a well-known description of the printing house which he built in 1636–7 indicates the highly developed workshop organization of Blaeu and his sons. — R. A. Skelton

In the 1630s, Willem Blaeu 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 his sons Joan and Cornelius joined their father’s business, expanding on his ambitious plans. The project finally reached fruition with Joan’s publication in 1660 of the Atlas Major, issued in 5 languages and bound in 9 to 12 volumes containing more than 600 maps.