Map of the North Pole - John Seller

This "Map of the North Pole" is a 17th-century engraving attributed to the English hydrographer John Seller, active in London and author of the Atlas Maritimus, one of the first major English challenges to the Dutch monopoly in nautical cartography. Dating from around 1676-1680, it depicts the Arctic regions in a polar projection, with the polar circle clearly highlighted and the coasts still partly hypothetical, testifying to geographical knowledge in formation. The vignettes with indigenous hunters, whaling ships, and sea scenes underscore the economic interest in fishing and whaling, while the decorated cartouche reasserts Seller's scientific and political prestige as "hydrographer to the King."

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