Salons in the Queen's House: Pieter Goos’s ‘Water World’

Coffee Table Reading: Pieter Goos’s ‘Water World’ 

In the 17th century, the Dutch increasingly challenged the Spanish and Portuguese for domination over global maritime trade. Amsterdam’s map industry was central to Dutch colonial ambitions, and the fierce competition between mapmakers ushered in a Golden Age of cartography. 

In a bid to outdo one other, each ‘new and improved’ atlas was more lavish than the last. One of the most spectacular examples - Pieter Goos’s ‘Water World’, is on display in the Queen’s House. A ‘best seller’ of its day, the atlas was first published in 1666. It was available in English, Spanish, and French as well as its original Dutch. However, with its opulent gold leaf decoration and intricate hand-coloured illustrations, the atlas was never intended for everyday navigation. 

This talk by Tim May, Curator of Maps and Mobilities, will explore the atlas's hidden (and often quirky) features, as well as the colonial desires underpinning its creation. 

About the Speaker 

Tim May is Curator of Maps and Mobilities at Royal Museums Greenwich. His current focus is revealing the collection's erased histories, most notably those of Indigenous peoples and women mapmakers. He earned his BA and MPhil in Geography from the University of Cambridge, and PhD in Geography from the University of Durham.