[Map of Galicia, Spain] Gallaecia Regnum descripta a F.Fer. Ojea Ord. Pred.

Decorative map of the kingdom of Galicia by Blaeu. It extends from the Asturian region of Oviedo and Avilés in the north-east, to Bayona and the border with Portugal in the south. In the centre, Santiago de Compostela; also notable are A Coruña, Pontevedra, Mondoñedo, Lugo and Orense. Full of details such as castles, walled cities, towns, rivers and mountains. It contains a decorative cartouche with a coat of arms held by two cherubs and another one representing Neptune holding the title. One can also appreciate two compass roses, three vessels and a sea monster, very characteristic of the Dutch cartography of this period. Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) was a prominent Dutch publisher and geographer. He studied with the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe and established a shop of globes, maps and astronomical instruments in Amsterdam. In his capacity as a publisher he published works by intellectuals such as Descartes and Hugo Grotius. In 1635 he published his very famous atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive, Atlas novus. Three years later, Blaeu died and bequeathed his publishing firm to his sons Cornelius and Johannes, with whom it continued to prosper.