Name: Gerard Mercator
Dates: 1512-1594
Map Type: Copper engraved maps printed on handmade paper.
Gerard Mercator was born in Rupelmonde, near Antwerp, into abject poverty in the year 1512, during an era of massive unrest. humble beginnings for the man who is quite reasonably rated on the scale of importance to the world of cartography as second only to Claudius Ptolemy for innovation and ideas.
His name now is, of course, synonymous with the projection of the world on the flat page, and despite the inherent inaccuracy in this concept, it has become very much accepted. This was far from the first idea along these lines, but Mercator's is recognised as the least inaccurate, containing as much of the globe as possible on one page with minimum mis-shaping of land masses.
Mercator began his career in the place of his study where he decided to set himself up as a cartographer, globe and instrument maker. One of his earliest maps was one of Flanders, thought to have been finished around 1540. In learning the craft, Mercator immersed himself in the process, supervising the original drafts, and painstakingly engraving the plates himself .
As more work was produced, the quality did not go unnoticed and he soon found himself making a globe for Charles V. Unfortunately, this high profile commission led to Mercator being accused of heresy, becoming unwittingly involved in and alleged persecution of protestants plot. Luckily for Mercator, nothing drastic or fatal happened to him, but he was concerned enough to move away to Duisburg in around 1552.
This new location afforded him the peace-of-mind to continue making maps and he embarked on various map-related projects, in amongst globe and instrument manufacture. He produced a remarkable set of large scale maps of Europe, the British Isles and the World between 1554 and 1569. It is not known how many he produced and sold, but judging by their scarcity today, it would suggest a fairly minimal number.
It is, however, his later work that comes up more often. The latter part of his life saw him return to Ptolemy's Geographia, which he re-worked as his own way, yet engraving the plates as close to the classic form as possible.The result was a triple volume which is thought to have been labelled with the first use of the word Atlas to denote a collection of maps.
The Atlas was published in parts in 1585 and then 1589 and the third volume was finally completed the year of Mercator's death in 1595.
His name now is, of course, synonymous with the projection of the world on the flat page, and despite the inherent inaccuracy in this concept, it has become very much accepted. This was far from the first idea along these lines, but Mercator's is recognised as the least inaccurate, containing as much of the globe as possible on one page with minimum mis-shaping of land masses.
Mercator began his career in the place of his study where he decided to set himself up as a cartographer, globe and instrument maker. One of his earliest maps was one of Flanders, thought to have been finished around 1540. In learning the craft, Mercator immersed himself in the process, supervising the original drafts, and painstakingly engraving the plates himself .
As more work was produced, the quality did not go unnoticed and he soon found himself making a globe for Charles V. Unfortunately, this high profile commission led to Mercator being accused of heresy, becoming unwittingly involved in and alleged persecution of protestants plot. Luckily for Mercator, nothing drastic or fatal happened to him, but he was concerned enough to move away to Duisburg in around 1552.
This new location afforded him the peace-of-mind to continue making maps and he embarked on various map-related projects, in amongst globe and instrument manufacture. He produced a remarkable set of large scale maps of Europe, the British Isles and the World between 1554 and 1569. It is not known how many he produced and sold, but judging by their scarcity today, it would suggest a fairly minimal number.
It is, however, his later work that comes up more often. The latter part of his life saw him return to Ptolemy's Geographia, which he re-worked as his own way, yet engraving the plates as close to the classic form as possible.The result was a triple volume which is thought to have been labelled with the first use of the word Atlas to denote a collection of maps.
The Atlas was published in parts in 1585 and then 1589 and the third volume was finally completed the year of Mercator's death in 1595.