An original antique engraved map, hand-coloured of the Limousin region in south west France by W. Blaeu, one of the most famous of all map publishers, from his 'Novus Atlas' published in 1634. There are two maps on one sheet. To the left a map of the town of Lymoges and the surrounding area; and to the right the map shows the Allier River and valley in the Massif Central in south-central France.
The map is distinguished by a number of attractive and decorative additions including cartouches, mileage scale and coat-of-arms.
The map was originally created by Gabriele Simeneo in the mid-16th century (published in his 1560 work Description de la Limagne d'Auvergne). By the time it appeared in the Blaeu atlases in the 1630s, the information was part of the common cartographic "canon".
Blaeu frequently acquired existing copper printing plates from the estates of other publishers or competitors. For example, he famously purchased a significant stock of plates from the heirs of Jodocus Hondius in 1629 to kickstart his own atlas production.
Blaeu would generally credit the original author, using the term auctore or descriptore, while creating his own high-quality version for his luxury atlases.
During this period, "intellectual property" as we know it did not exist. Once a map was published, other cartographers could legally copy the geographical data or even re-engrave the entire map, provided they did not violate specific short-term local privileges (monopolies). Blaeu’s map of Limagne was a legal derivative work based on Simeoni's 16th-century research, refined with Blaeu's signature artistic style and high-quality paper.
Gabriele Simeoni (or Simeoneo, was a prominent 16th century Italian Renaissance humanist, poet, and polymath. Born in Florence, he was a restless scholar who spent much of his career moving between the courts of Italy and France. He authored works in various fields, including archaeology, military history, astrology, and cartography.
His map of the Limagne region in France (Topographia Limaniae), was frequently included in major early atlases and later in those of Willem Blaeu, and was well known in the cartographic world.
Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) was a prominent Dutch geographer and publisher. Born the son of a herring merchant, Blaeu chose not fish but mathematics and astronomy for his focus. He studied with the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, with whom he honed his instrument and globe making skills. Blaeu set up shop in Amsterdam, where he sold instruments and globes, published maps, and edited the works of intellectuals like Descartes and Hugo Grotius.
