Universe Europe maritime eiusque navigationis descriptio is the commanding title of Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer’s pioneering sea chart, issued in 1584 at the dawn of Europe’s oceanic enterprises. It assembles the coasts of the British Isles and Scandinavia, the stormy North Sea, the “Spanish Sea” of the western Mediterranean, the littoral of North Africa, and the open reaches of the Atlantic into a single navigational picture. A dense web of rhumb lines radiates between ornate compass roses, translating magnetic bearings into straight-line courses for pilots, while Latin annotations lend scholarly precision. As the earliest printed sea chart of this broad theatre, it announced a new, standardized language for sailing the edges of Europe and navigating between the continent’s rival maritime powers.

There is a monochrome version of this map available.

Behind the chart stands Waghenaer, an experienced Dutch pilot from Enkhuizen whose Spiegel der Zeevaerdt—the first engraved sea atlas—transformed artisanal pilot books into authoritative instruments of command. He distilled generations of coastal knowledge from Spain and Portugal to France, the Netherlands, and England, and set it into plates engraved with exceptional finesse by Joannes Doetecum. The result was both practical and epochal: a suite that professionalized navigation and, in English translation, even lent its maker’s name to the mariner’s “waggoner.” This plate embodies that breakthrough, aligning empirical observations and standard symbols so helmsmen could plot confident passages from the Low Countries to Iberia and out toward the western ocean.

Visually, the sheet is a pageant of late-Renaissance cartography in full sail. Multi-point compass roses bloom across the seas, their petals linked by taut rhumb lines; stylized mountain chains and finely hatched coastlines delineate the lands beyond the tide. Heraldic coats of arms—Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, England, Sweden, Norway—punctuate the political seascape, while bustling galleons and spirited sea monsters animate the waters with the era’s bravado and anxieties. Doetecum’s incisive burin yields crisp lettering and sumptuous ornament, a decorative vocabulary that complements the chart’s instrumental purpose. Rich color heightens the hierarchy of coasts, kingdoms, and currents, making the map at once a working guide and a masterwork of maritime pageantry.

Geographically, the composition stretches from the familiar routes of the North Sea to the gateways of the western Mediterranean and outward toward the Western Atlantic, with the British Isles poised at the crossroads of northern trade. Ports and promontories step along the shorelines in graphic procession, evoking the pilot’s-eye rhythm of coastal navigation. Among its most intriguing details is the circular depiction of Iceland—a curious conceit of the first edition that Waghenaer would revise in a subsequent issue—set like a compass boss in the North Atlantic. The “Spanish Sea” label nods to Iberian ascendancy, even as the chart anticipates the north’s expanding venture toward broader oceanic horizons.

More than a navigational aid, the chart captures the mental world of sixteenth-century seafaring, where empirical bearings coexisted with heraldry and myth. The monsters that prowl its margins and the ships that shoulder into the swell sketch a moral geography of risk and reward, while the Latin notes fold the mariner’s craft into a humanist frame. As an early printed sea chart of Europe’s maritime theatre, it bridges medieval portolan practice and the emerging science of global cartography. Universe Europe maritime eiusque navigationis descriptio remains a landmark: a lucid instrument for plotting courses and a luminous artifact of the ambitions that reshaped Atlantic history.

Countries and regions on this map

• British Isles
• Iceland
• Western Mediterranean
• North Africa
• Western Atlantic
• Spain
• Portugal
• France
• The Netherlands
• England
• Sweden
• Norway
• North Sea
• Spanish Sea (Mediterranean)
• Atlantic Ocean
• Mountain ranges (represented in various coastal areas)
• Coastal regions and ports depicted graphically

Notable Features & Landmarks

• Compass Roses
• Sea Monsters
• Sailing Ships
• Coats of Arms
• Rhumb Lines
• Circular Representation of Iceland
• Notes in Latin

Historical and design context

• Map Title: Universe Europe maritime eiusque navigationis descriptio
• Mapmaker: Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer
• Year Created: 1584
• First engraved sea atlas: Waghenaer’s Speigel der Zeevaerdt
• Highly ornate design with rich color; engraving by Joannes Doetecum
• Earliest printed sea chart of the region, marking a major advance in maritime cartography
• Rare in good condition due to size; this example retains the neatline despite narrow margins

Please double check the images to make sure that a specific town or place is shown on this map. You can also get in touch and ask us to check the map for you.

This map looks great at every size, but I always recommend going for a larger size if you have space. That way you can easily make out all of the details.

This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.

The model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this map.

The fifth listing image shows an example of my map personalisation service.

If you’re looking for something slightly different, check out my collection of the best old maps to see if something else catches your eye.

Please contact me to check if a certain location, landmark or feature is shown on this map.

This would make a wonderful birthday, Christmas, Father's Day, work leaving, anniversary or housewarming gift for someone from the areas covered by this map.

This map is available as a giclée print on acid free archival matte paper, or you can buy it framed. The frame is a nice, simple black frame that suits most aesthetics. Please get in touch if you'd like a different frame colour or material. My frames are glazed with super-clear museum-grade acrylic (perspex/acrylite), which is significantly less reflective than glass, safer, and will always arrive in perfect condition.

This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.

For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.

For most orders, delivery time is about 3 working days. Personalised and customised products take longer, as I have to do the personalisation and send it to you for approval, which usually takes 1 or 2 days.

Please note that very large framed orders usually take longer to make and deliver. 

If you need your order to arrive by a certain date, please contact me before you order so that we can find the best way of making sure you get your order in time.

I print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world. This means your order will be made locally, which cuts down on delivery time and ensures that it won't be damaged during delivery. You'll never pay customs or import duty, and we'll put less CO2 into the air.

All of my maps and art prints are well packaged and sent in a rugged tube if unframed, or surrounded by foam if framed.

I try to send out all orders within 1 or 2 days of receiving your order, though some products (like face masks, mugs and tote bags) can take longer to make.

If you select Express Delivery at checkout your order we will prioritise your order and send it out by 1-day courier (Fedex, DHL, UPS, Parcelforce).

Next Day delivery is also available in some countries (US, UK, Singapore, UAE) but please try to order early in the day so that we can get it sent out on time.

Read my full delivery and local production guide

My standard frame is a gallery style black ash hardwood frame. It is simple and quite modern looking. My standard frame is around 20mm (0.8in) wide.

I use super-clear acrylic (perspex/acrylite) for the frame glass. It's lighter and safer than glass - and it looks better, as the reflectivity is lower.

Six standard frame colours are available for free (black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white and antique gold). Custom framing and mounting/matting is available if you're looking for something else.

Most maps, art and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte (not shiny) cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced box wood frame, and then 'float' the piece within a wood frame. The end result is quite beautiful, and there's no glazing to get in the way.

All frames are provided "ready to hang", with either a string or brackets on the back. Very large frames will have heavy duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.

See some examples of my framed maps and framed canvas maps.

Alternatively, I can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag and other materials.

If you want to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read my size guide first.

My maps are extremely high quality reproductions of original maps.

I source original, rare maps from libraries, auction houses and private collections around the world, restore them at my London workshop, and then use specialist giclée inks and printers to create beautiful maps that look even better than the original.

My maps are printed on acid-free archival matte (not glossy) paper that feels very high quality and almost like card. In technical terms the paper weight/thickness is 10mil/200gsm. It's perfect for framing.

I print with Epson ultrachrome giclée UV fade resistant pigment inks - some of the best inks you can find.

I can also make maps on canvas, cotton rag and other exotic materials.

Learn more about The Unique Maps Co.

Map personalisation

If you're looking for the perfect anniversary or housewarming gift, I can personalise your map to make it truly unique. For example, I can add a short message, or highlight an important location, or add your family's coat of arms.

The options are almost infinite. Please see my map personalisation page for some wonderful examples of what's possible.

To order a personalised map, select "personalise your map" before adding it to your basket.

Get in touch if you're looking for more complex customisations and personalisations.

Map ageing

I have been asked hundreds of times over the years by customers if they could buy a map that looks even older.

Well, now you can, by selecting Aged before you add a map to your basket.

All the product photos you see on this page show the map in its Original form. This is what the map looks like today.

If you select Aged, I will age your map by hand, using a special and unique process developed through years of studying old maps, talking to researchers to understand the chemistry of aging paper, and of course... lots of practice!

If you're unsure, stick to the Original colour of the map. If you want something a bit darker and older looking, go for Aged.

See some amazing examples of Aged maps.

If you are not happy with your order for any reason, contact me and I'll get it fixed ASAP, free of charge. Please see my returns and refund policy for more information.

I am very confident you will like your restored map or art print. I have been doing this since 1984. I'm a 5-star Etsy seller. I have sold tens of thousands of maps and art prints and have over 5,000 real 5-star reviews. My work has been featured in interior design magazines, on the BBC, and on the walls of dozens of 5-star hotels.

I use a unique process to restore maps and artwork that is massively time consuming and labour intensive. Hunting down the original maps and illustrations can take months. I use state of the art and eye-wateringly expensive technology to scan and restore them. As a result, I guarantee my maps and art prints are a cut above the rest. I stand by my products and will always make sure you're 100% happy with what you receive.

Almost all of my maps and art prints look amazing at large sizes (200cm, 6.5ft+) and I can frame and deliver them to you as well, via special oversized courier. Contact me to discuss your specific needs.