Willem Janszoon Blaeu, 1571-1638 : $b a sketch of his life and work, with an especial reference to his large world map of 1605, facsimile of the unique copy belonging to the Hispanic society of AmericaStevenson, Edward Luther
History
Willem Janszoon Blaeu, 1571-1638 : $b a sketch of his life and work, with an especial reference to his large world map of 1605, facsimile of the unique copy belonging to the Hispanic society of America
Stevenson, Edward Luther
Blaeu, Willem Janszoon, 1571-1638; Early maps
Three years later, that is, in 1602, Blaeu issued a terrestrial and
a celestial globe, each having a diameter of 23 cm. He refers to his
terrestrial globe as an improvement upon that of 1599, referring
doubtless to its geographical details and not to its size. He dedicates
his work to the three provinces, Holland, Zeeland and West Friesland,
calls especial attention to the recent expedition of Olivier van der
Noort, the course of whose expedition around the world he lays down
on his map, and signs himself Guilielmo Jansonio Blaeu, substituting
his family name for the name of his birthplace. On his celestial globe
of 1602 he located the stars in accord with the reckoning of the year
1600, making use, as he states, of the observations of his friend
and teacher, Tycho Brahe, but for the southern constellations the
observations of the explorer Fredrik Houtman.[35] By reason of the fact
that so few copies of these globes of 1602 are known to exist, it has
been thought that for some reason Blaeu issued a very limited number.
We know, however, that his terrestrial globes were highly valued and
much in demand, because of the care with which they had been prepared,
because of his effort to give information concerning the latest
discoveries, and because of his representation of the loxodrome lines
which made them of special service to navigators; that his celestial
globes found favor by reason of the fact that he was known to be a
pupil and friend of Tycho Brahe; and that he himself was known to be a
mathematician and astronomer of distinction.
In 1603, he undertook the preparation of a celestial globe to
be considered a companion of his first globe of 1599. From the
observations of Brahe and of Houtman he tells us as in his work of the
preceding year, that he derived many of his details, and he honors the
former by giving his portrait a conspicuous position in his map, adding
his master’s favorite motto: “Non haberi, sed esse.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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