Joan Willemsz. Blaeu was a Dutch printer, cartographer and publisher of renowned atlases. In 1620, he received his doctorate in law from Leiden. Together with his father Willem Jansz. Blaeu, who founded the printing and publishing house, Joan is among the most famous cartographers in the world.
After the death of Willem Jansz. Blaeu in 1638, Joan and his brother Cornelis continued the business. When Cornelis died in 1642, Joan continued alone. In 1651 he became a member of the vroedschap of Amsterdam and later appointed alderman. In 1658, Joan was appointed examiner for the helmsmen of the VOC. In 1672, Blaeu lost his seat in the council of aldermen to a Orangist. Blaeu died on Dec. 28, 1673, and was buried in the Westerkerk in Amsterdam.
- Image: a beautifully colored detailed map of the island of Crete. Candia is a later Venetian name for the capital Heraklion and the island
- year: 1650
- quality: good, with spotting due to foxing. Foxing is a localized deterioration of paper made before the mid-nineteenth century, so-called rag paper. This paper often contained small metal particles that rusted under the influence of moisture.
- signed: no
- image size: 38 x 18.6 cm | 15 x 7.3 in (h x w)
- sheet or frame size: 51.2 x 60.7 cm | 20.2 x 24 in (h x w)
