Leen Helmink Antique Maps

Pieter Verbiest, or Peter Verbiest/Verbist / Petrum Verbist (Antwerp, 1607-1674) was born in Antwerp in 1607. He was active in this city all of his life as engraver, cartographer and publisher. He was also member of the Saint Lucas guild of artists. He died in 1674.

Verbiest produced a number of small maps that covered the area of the Seventeen Provinces and published these for the first time in 1636 as a pocket atlas. Only two copies have survived of this Novus Tabularum Geographicorum Belgicae Liber. Two more editions were published in 1644 and 1652.

Peter Verbiest also produced a number of significant and interesting maps, mostly in cooperation with his brother Isaak. The most famous is a world map in 1630 that was issued in Mercator's projection. It contains the most recent information on the Dutch explorations of Australia, and it follows the erroneous Spanish tradition by presenting California as an island.

(HisGISKust)