A magnificent and exceptionally detailed seventeenth-century map of the eastern part of the Haderslev district in southern Jutland, Denmark, surveyed by the distinguished cartographer Johannes Meyer (1606–1674), engraved by the brothers Matthias and Nikolaus Peters of Husum, and published by Joan Blaeu in the first Latin edition of his monumental Atlas Maior in 1662.

Entitled Pars Orientalis Praefecturae Hadersleben Vulgo dictae Baringsijssel, the map depicts the eastern portion of the historic Haderslev administrative district, extending from the inland territories of southern Jutland to the shores of the Little Belt (Middelfart Sund), which separates the Jutland peninsula from the island of Funen.

The map provides an extraordinarily detailed representation of the region's seventeenth-century geography. Numerous villages, churches, farms, roads, rivers, forests and administrative boundaries are carefully recorded. The principal districts, or Herreder, are individually identified, including Gram, Frøs, Tyrstrup and Haderslev. The town of Haderslev, situated at the head of its long, narrow fjord, occupies a prominent position in the southeastern part of the map.

Particularly striking is the careful delineation of the eastern coastline, with its numerous bays, inlets, small islands and projecting headlands. The Haderslev Fjord, opening into the Little Belt, is shown in considerable detail, together with the surrounding settlements and coastal features. Two sailing vessels and an attractive compass rose embellish the maritime portion of the composition.

The inland landscape is rendered with remarkable precision. Extensive forests are represented by clusters of individually engraved trees, while roads, watercourses and the boundaries of the administrative districts are clearly distinguished. The dense network of settlements and topographical details provides an invaluable record of the historical geography of southern Jutland in the mid-seventeenth century.

The map is ornamented with several finely engraved decorative elements. In the upper left corner, the title appears within an elaborate cartouche decorated with colourful scrollwork and ribbons, beneath which is a distance scale. A second cartouche in the lower left contains a Latin dedication by Johannes Meyer, accompanied by an attractive arrangement of flowers and foliage. In the lower right corner, an ornamental legend explains the various symbols employed to identify settlements and other geographical features.

Johannes Meyer, also known as Johannes Mejer, was one of the most accomplished regional cartographers of seventeenth-century northern Europe. Born in Husum, he devoted much of his career to surveying the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. His work is distinguished by its exceptional topographical detail and the systematic recording of settlements, administrative divisions and natural features.

Meyer's surveys formed the cartographic foundation of Caspar Danckwerth's celebrated Newe Landesbeschreibung der zwey Hertzogthümer Schleswich und Holstein, published in 1652. Many of these maps were subsequently incorporated into Joan Blaeu's prestigious atlases, bringing Meyer's detailed regional cartography to a much wider European audience.

This map forms the eastern counterpart to Meyer's map of the western part of Haderslev, entitled Pars Occidentalis Praefecturae Hadersleben cum adjacentibus Ripen et Lohmcloster Praefecturis. Together, the two maps provide an exceptionally comprehensive geographical record of the Haderslev district during the seventeenth century.

Published in Amsterdam in 1662, this beautifully hand-coloured example is a fine illustration of the combination of precise regional surveying, accomplished engraving and decorative elegance characteristic of Blaeu's Atlas Maior.

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.