In Northern Europe in 1472 the first
woodblock map was published by inking a raised type-face that had been created
by carving away from the image to be printed. In Italy a different process was soon
developed to show the fine detail of each map by copperplate engraving.
Engraving for the printing of images was
painstaking and highly skilled work. Engraving was made more difficult by
having to be done in reverse as a mirror image, so that the image was the right
way round when printed for publication. Early maps were printed on hand-made paper.
Both the paper and the copperplates were expensive. Fortunately carved lines on
copperplates could be beaten flat and re-engraved with updated information.
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| Quad. Terra Australis c1600 |
Long before the invention of the
printing press (around 1440) ‘the father of cartography’, Claudius Ptolemaeus (87-150) based his theories of the universe on
those of the ancient Greeks. Ptolemy
was a Greek mathematician, geographer, astronomer and astrologer lived in
Alexandria when it was the most important centre of learning in the world, and
the centre of trade between east and west. His most important works were Almagest on astronomy (presenting the
theory that the universe revolved around earth), and Geographia (the first organised presentation of geography using
grid structure and mathematical projections for maps, and the terms ‘latitude’
and ‘longitude’). It was Ptolemy who theorised that there must be a great south
land to balance the weight produced by the known land masses of the northern
hemisphere, to keep the earth from tipping up. His theories were maintained for
over 1,500 years.
In the 16th century, the most
important period in the development of map-making, Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594) was also a mathematician,
cartographer, designer of mathematical instruments, and globe-maker. Mercator
drew and engraved his first map (of Palestine) in 1537, but he established his
fame in 1569 with an enormous eighteen-sheet World Map, drawn to his new
‘Mercator Projection’ with increasing latitudes. 'Mercator's
Projectio' can be found at the top of many flat projections of the world
that have been published over the years since.
Although he was not the inventor of this type of projection, Mercator was the
first to apply it to navigational charts so that compass bearings could be
plotted in straight lines which greatly assisted navigation. Mercator also designed
instruments to improve the method of land surveying.
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| Tallis. Mercator Projection c1850 |
Mercator’s love of design extended to his
copperplate-engraving of maps, and his introduction of italic wording. Gerard
Mercator re-engraved as closely as possible the maps for a new edition of
Ptolemy's Geographia, and published a
three part Atlas which became known as The Mercator Atlas. Although Mercator was the first to refer to a
book of maps as an Atlas (after the learned philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and legendary King of Libya), ‘Ortelius’ Abraham Ortel (1528-1598) is credited with the first
formal world atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum published in 1570. It was the first book containing a systematic collection of equal-sized maps, compiled from
contemporary knowledge and not based on Ptolemy's theories.
Ortelius worked in the great commercial centre of Antwerp. He travelled widely through Europe and used his
cartographer contacts to gather maps which he drew and Frans Hogenberg
engraved. His Theatrum appeared in numerous editions up until
1612 - in different languages and updated with the latest
knowledge and discoveries. Ortelius shared information of the latest discoveries
with Mercator who encouraged and advised him. Being more commercially minded
than Mercator, Ortelius also adapted Mercator’s maps for his own publications.
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| Bellin. New Holland (Australia) c1583 |
Original engraved maps prior to the 16th century are rarely seen today. Surprisingly, considering the
fragility of paper, a wide range of 17th, 18th, and 19th
century antique maps are still available. As with antique prints of other
subjects, the value of antique maps depends on rarity, quality and condition.
You can buy an original map over one
hundred years old for as little as $50 or for more than $15,000. Cost does not
determine the amount of fascination they provide – from the paper
and printing method used in making them, the wonder of their survival, and of course, the variation of information shown on them. There is a fantastic selection at
The inaccuracies of earlier coastlines
now entertain us, but as centuries have changed political boundaries, the
varying names and borders of regions and countries provide a graphic reminder
of the past. The more you study them the more you are hooked - an affliction referred to as ‘map pox’!
