The North Pole (1636)

This Dutch map of the North Pole and its surroundings owes much to two great explorers from the turn of the 17th century: to the east, the Dutchman Willem Barentsz (1550-1597), who unsuccessfully sought the Northeast Passage; and to the west, the Englishman William Baffin (1584-1622), who failed to find the Northwest Passage. Cartography of that time, particularly at these latitudes, remained approximate and was filled with vast, uncharted areas. The author, a cartographer of the 'Golden Age' in The Hague, surrounds these blank spaces with evocative illustrations but makes no attempt to conceal them.