From the workshops of Amsterdam to the Spanish National Library. The legacy of Johannes Janssonius in the golden Age of Cartography

Abstract

The recent acquisition by the National Library of Spain (Biblioteca Nacional de España, BNE) of Johannes Janssonius’s Novus Atlas Absolutissimus provides the starting point for this article, which analyzes the historical, cartographic, and patrimonial significance of this exceptional work purchased in 2024. From this perspective, the study situates Janssonius within the Golden Age of Dutch cartography and the development of the modern atlas since Ortelius and Mercator. It examines Janssonius’s training in the editorial environment of Amsterdam, his inheritance of the Hondius workshop, and, above all, the intense rivalry with the Blaeu family, which fueled an unprecedented escalation in the production of increasingly ambitious and comprehensive atlases. Particular attention is given to the Novus Atlas Absolutissimus as the culmination of this process: a monumental eleven-volume work that integrates terrestrial, maritime, historical, and celestial cartography, distinguished by its technical precision, decorative richness, and universal scope. The article concludes that Janssonius’s legacy marks the transition of the atlas from a commercial product to an erudite and scientific project, and that its preservation at the BNE significantly strengthens Spain’s cartographic and cultural heritage.