Speculum Orbis Terrarum by de Jode, facsimile

Speculum Orbis Terrarum

Gerard de Jode (Nijmegen, 1509 – Antwerpen, 1591) was a Flemish cartographer and engraver, living in Antwerp, admitted to the Guild of St. Luke in 1547.

His most outstanding work is a two volume atlas Speculum Orbis Terrarum published in 1578. It was aimed at competing with another atlas,  Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by Ortelius, published eight years earlier in 1570. Thanks to a 10-year privilege Ortelius atlas had become so popular by the time de Jode finally could publish his own atlas however, that his version never sold well, despite his outstanding reputation.

De Jode made plans for another enlarged edition, which was uncompleted at his death in 1591. His son Cornelis de Jode took over and published the Speculum Orbis Terrae in 1593. Later, the engraving plates were sold to J. B. Vrients (who also owned the Ortelius plates).

I’s a small world

De Jode also had a close connection with the Brueghel family of artists that extended beyond the professional. His son, Pieter de Jode, frequently made prints after designs by Jan Brueghel the Elder. And de Jode’s daughter, Isabella de Jode, married Jan in 1599.