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. Datable to around 1676-1680, it depicts the Arctic regions in polar projection, with the Arctic Circle clearly marked and the coastlines still partly conjectural, bearing witness to geographical knowledge still in the making. The vignettes with native hunters, whalers and little sea scenes underline the economic interest in fishing and whaling, while the decorated cartouche reaffirms Seller's scientific and political prestige as “hydrographer to the King”.
Unique quality material
Print on handmade Amalfi paper Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in) With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade
How an Amalfi art print is made, what the frame is like, what museum glass is, how long shipping takes, and how returns work: we’ve gathered all the answers on a single page.
