Golden Age of Cartography

 In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Low Countries were the global center of cartography. This "Golden Age" was characterized by a transition from scientific innovation in Antwerp to commercial dominance in Amsterdam.

  

I. Gerardus Mercator (1512–1594): The Founder

Mercator elevated cartography from an art form to an exact science.
    Mercator Projection (1569): He developed a revolutionary map projection that allowed sailors to plot a constant course as a straight line, which became essential for global navigation. 

    The Term 'Atlas': Mercator was the first to use the term "atlas" for a systematic collection of maps in book form.

II. Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598): The Inventor of the Modern Atlas

Ortelius made cartographic knowledge accessible to a wider audience in Antwerp.
    Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (1570): This is considered the first modern atlas. He brought together existing maps from various artists in a uniform format, complete with textual explanations.
    Scientific insight: By meticulously studying the coastlines on his maps, he was the first to propose the possibility of continental drift.

III. The Blaeu Family: The Commercial Heyday

In the 17th century, the focus shifted to Amsterdam, where the Blaeu family produced the most luxurious and detailed maps in the world.
    Willem Jansz. Blaeu (1571 - 1638): Founder of the firm and former student of Tycho Brahe. He combined scientific precision with a high aesthetic standard in globes and maps.
    Joan Blaeu & Atlas Maior (1662): His son Joan published the Atlas Maior, the largest and most expensive book of the 17th century. With hundreds of hand-colored maps and thousands of pages of text, it represented the absolute artistic pinnacle of Dutch cartography.

Together, these cartographers formed the backbone of the maritime and commercial expansion of the Low Countries, their work not only depicting the world but also helping to control it.