A finely engraved, beautifully coloured map of northern Schleswig in present-day Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Designed by Johannes Meyer and published by Joan Blaeu in his celebrated Atlas Maior, the map depicts the northern portion of the administrative district of Gottorp, extending from the North Sea coast in the west to the Baltic Sea in the east.

The map provides a remarkably detailed representation of the region's seventeenth-century geography, showing numerous villages, settlements, roads, rivers, lakes, forests, marshlands and administrative divisions. The landscape is characterised by the extensive heathlands (Heerde), wooded areas and waterways that dominated this part of Schleswig. The town and castle of Gottorp, near Schleswig, appear prominently in the lower centre of the map, while the Baltic coastline, including the Schlei inlet and Eckernförde Bay, appears to the east.

The map is particularly distinguished by its elaborate decorative elements. At the upper left, the title appears within a magnificent architectural cartouche, incorporating a classical gateway with columns, figures and military attributes. A second cartouche at the upper centre contains the explanatory key to the map's symbols.

At the bottom centre, a richly ornamented cartouche contains a dedication to Johann Adolf Kielmann, an important statesman in the service of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp. The cartouche is surrounded by elaborate floral and allegorical ornamentation. The Baltic Sea is embellished with a sailing ship, while a compass rose and the elegantly engraved name of the sea complete the composition.

The brothers Matthias and Nikolaus Petersen, goldsmiths and engravers associated with Husum, engraved the map, and their names appear in the lower right corner.

The Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp was an important political entity in seventeenth-century northern Europe. Its rulers maintained close dynastic and political connections with Denmark and other European powers. Gottorp Castle, the ducal residence, became an important centre of cultural and scientific activity during this period.

Johannes Meyer (1606–1674), born in Husum, was one of the most accomplished regional cartographers of seventeenth-century Germany. He devoted much of his career to surveying Schleswig-Holstein and the North Frisian coastal regions. His maps are notable for their remarkable geographical precision and rich local detail. His most important cartographic achievement was the Newe Landesbeschreibung der zwey Hertzogthümer Schleswich und Holstein, published in Husum in 1652 in collaboration with the historian Caspar Danckwerth.

Meyer's detailed surveys provided an important foundation for subsequent cartographic representations of Schleswig-Holstein, including maps published by the great Dutch atlasmakers.

The present map was published in Joan Blaeu's monumental Atlas Maior, issued in Amsterdam from 1662 onwards. This lavish atlas, comprising hundreds of finely engraved maps, represented one of the greatest achievements of the Dutch Golden Age of cartography.

Together with Praefecturae Gottorpiensis Pars Australis, this map forms a complementary pair illustrating the northern and southern parts of the Gottorp district. The two maps are especially interesting for their combination of Meyer's detailed regional surveying, the fine engraving of the Petersen brothers, and the elegant presentation associated with Blaeu's atlas production.

A superb example of seventeenth-century regional cartography, with finely engraved topographical detail, elaborate cartouches and two inset town plans.

The Blaeus: Willem Janszoon, Cornelis & Joan

Willem Jansz. Blaeu and his son Joan Blaeu are the seventeenth century's most widely known cartographic publishers.

Willem Jansz. (also written Guilielmus Janssonius) = Willem Janszoon Blaeu was born in Uitgeest (Netherlands), near Alkmaar, in 1571. He studied mathematics under Tycho Brahe and learned the theory and practice of astronomical observations and the art of instrument- and globe-making.

In 1596, he came to Amsterdam, where he settled down as a globe-, instrument- and mapmaker. He published his first cartographic work (a globe) in 1599 and probably published his first printed map (a map of the Netherlands) in 1604. He specialised in maritime cartography, published the first edition of the pilot guide Het Licht der Zeevaert in 1608, and was appointed Hydrographer of the V.O.C. (United East India Company) in 1633. After publishing books, wall maps, globes, charts and pilot guides for thirty years, he brought out his first atlas, Atlas Appendix (1630). This was the beginning of the great tradition of atlas-making by the Blaeus.

In 1618, another mapmaker, bookseller and publisher, Johannes Janssonius, established himself in Amsterdam next door to Blaeu's shop. No wonder these two neighbours began accusing each other of copying and stealing their information and became fierce competitors who did not have a good word to say about each other. In about 1621 Willem Jansz. decided to end the confusion between his name and his competitor's and assumed his grandfather's nickname, 'blauwe Willem' ('blue Willem'), as the family name; after that, he called himself Willem Jansz. Blaeu.

Willem Janszoon Blaeu died in 1638, leaving his prospering business to his sons, Cornelis and Joan. We only know that Cornelis's name occurs in the prefaces of books and atlases until c. 1645.

Joan Blaeu, born in Amsterdam in 1596, became a partner in his father's book trade and printing business. 1638, he was appointed his father's successor in the Hydrographic Office of the V.O.C. His efforts culminated in the magnificent Atlas Major and the town books of the Netherlands and Italy – works unsurpassed in history and modern times, giving eternal fame to the name of the Blaeu's.

A fire ruined the business on February 23, 1672, and one year later, Dr. Joan Blaeu died. The fire and the director's passing caused the complete sale of the Blaeu House's stock. Five public auctions dispersed the remaining books, atlases, copperplates, globes, etc., among many other map dealers and publishers in Amsterdam. The majority was acquired by several booksellers acting in partnership.

In the succeeding years, the remaining printing department remained in the hands of the Blaeu family until 1695, when the printing house's inventory was sold at a public auction. That meant the end of the Blaeu family as a printing house of world renown.