Greece - Peloponnese, Northern Ireland; Blaeu - Morea olim Peloponnesus - 1643

Technical sheet

Title: Morea, once Peloponnesus – map of the Peloponnesian peninsula, historically known as Morea.
Author: Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571–1638); edition of Blaeu publisher.
Publisher: Joan Blaeu, Amsterdam. The cartouche bears the inscription «Guilj. Blaeu exc.», referring to Willem Blaeu.
Place: Amsterdam.
Era: circa 1643.
Technique: copper engraving with hand coloring.
Support: map.
Dimensions: sheet 49.5 × 57.5 cm; engraving imprint 41.5 × 50 cm.
Composition: single plate with a central editorial fold, taken from Le Théâtre du Monde ou Nouvel Atlas.
States and regions represented: Greece; the Peloponnesian peninsula, including the historic regions of Achaea, Elis, Arcadia, Messenia, Laconia, Argolis and Corinthia. Also depicted are parts of central Greece and Attica, with Athens, and some surrounding islands, including Aegina, Hydra, Spetses and Kythera.
Reverse: descriptive French text, entitled Peloponnese ou Morée.

Description

Sixteenth-century map dedicated to the Peloponnese, the great peninsula of southern Greece known in medieval and modern times as Morea. The plate describes its coast profile, mountainous relief, waterways and inhabited centers, with dense toponymy that documents geographical knowledge of the region in the seventeenth century.
The depiction includes the isthmus of Corinth, linking the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, and the main bays that shape its coasts. The Gulf of Corinth is labeled Gulf de Lepanto, the Saronic Gulf as Gulf de Engia, and the bays of Nauplia, Messenia and Laconia are identifiable.
The hand coloring emphasizes borders and coastlines, distinguishing the peninsula, the mainland lands and the islands. In the lower left corner, the title is enclosed in an ornate cartouche surmounted by a crescent; a second cartouche at the top contains the scale. Sailing ships and decorative inscriptions enliven the sea spaces, giving balance to the composition.

Historical-artistic note

Willem Janszoon Blaeu was among the leading cartographers and publishers active in Amsterdam in the seventeenth century. After his death in 1638, the publishing house was continued by his sons Joan and Cornelis, who broadened their production of atlases and maps.
The map documents the Peloponnese at a time when the region was under Ottoman rule. The title pairs the commonly used name Morea with the classical Peloponnesus, recalling the territory’s link to ancient geography.
The French text on the back accompanies the plate with a historical and geographical description of the peninsula. The plate bears the name Willem Blaeu, though it was also used in editions published after his death.

Condition Report

Copy with central editorial fold and preserved margins. The sheet shows light browning and scattered foxing, most visible along the margins, as well as small stains and signs of aging. There are slight undulations and signs of wear near the central fold.
The back presents typographic French text. The engraving and coloring retain good legibility.