Finland Map 1664 Blaeu Magnus Ducatus Finlandiae Print - Gulf of Bothnia, Aland Islands, Lake Ladoga, Stockholm

This vibrant map of the Grand Duchy of Finland by Joan Blaeu comes from the 1664 Dutch edition of the Atlas Maior and was published in Amsterdam. It is based on the pioneering surveys of the Swedish mathematician and cartographer Anders Bure, also known as Andreas Bureus, and it gives a detailed chorographic depiction of the region. The coverage extends from the Gulf of Bothnia and the Aland Islands in the west to Lake Ladoga and the Russian border in the east, and it takes in the whole of modern Finland, the Swedish coast around Stockholm and the Ingrian region. The sheet is a favorite of collectors of Finland, since the crowded heraldry, the cherubs and the great cartouche give it the full ornament of the Dutch atlas age.

The map is widely regarded as one of the most decorative early atlas maps dedicated to Finland, and it translates Bure's 1626 wall map of Scandinavia into a focused folio format. Nine coats of arms fill the upper right, with the crowned lion of the Grand Duchy surrounded by the arms of Tavastia, Nylandia, Carelia, Savolaxia and other provinces, flanked by cherubs. A large baroque cartouche at the upper left honors Count Gustav Horn, a Swedish general who served as Constable of the Realm and Governor-General of Livonia. The complex network of lakes and waterways is a hallmark of Bure's work.

Anyone who collects Dutch Golden Age atlases, a family with roots in Finland, or a student of the Swedish Empire will find a handsome gift here. TheMapVault's Seutter map of about 1742 shows the same duchy after the Great Northern War, whereas this Blaeu sheet shows it in the Swedish age of greatness. Like every print in the collection, it ships unframed and is available in a full range of sizes, from a compact desk piece to a large-format statement print. It would suit a hall or a library.