(1527-1598)
Dutch mapmaker and printer. A native of Antwerp, he was trained as an engraver but became a dealer in maps and antiquities, travelling widely to collect and sell maps. He became involved in cartography through his acquaintance with the mapmaker Gerard Mercator. His Theatrum orbis terrarum (1570) was a prototype of the modern world atlas, both in the great number and quality of its engravings and in its attempt to cover the whole world. In 1573 he became geographer to King Philip II of Spain. His Theatrum went through many reprintings despite the great cost imposed by its elaborate engravings.
Historical Dictionary of Renaissance. Charles G. Nauert. 2004.