Product Description

Willem Janszoon Blaeu founded one of history's greatest cartographic publishing firms in 1599. Using skills learned from Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, Blaeu started his business in Amsterdam as a globe and scientific instrument maker. He quickly expanded the business to include maps, charts and book publishing. Known for his accuracy and artistry, the mapmaker used a multitude of colors. Blaeu died in 1638 and left the shop to his two sons, Joan and Cornelis. The sons continued to expand the business and, after the death of Cornelis in 1644, Joan kept the business going. He too became known as a highly-skilled mapmaker. He completed one of his father's projects with the sixth volume of the Atlas Novus, in 1655. He immediately started on an even more lavish project of 12 volumes, which was published in 1662--the most expensive printed book of its time. The map you will piece together is a dual hemisphere map, published in 1665, and lives up to the reputation of one of the finest cartography houses of the 17th century. This 3000 piece puzzle is 32 x 48 when finished.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18843 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Ravensburger
• Model: 17054
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.36" h x 16.93" w x 11.81" l, 4.41 pounds

Features

• Finished size 48 in x 32 in

Customer Reviews

Great Quality and Detail
Being the first Ravensburger puzzle I have ever owned, it is without a doubt the best quality and the best detailed puzzle I have ever worked with.

The quality of the product is shown throughout, from the sturdy container, practically sediment free packaging, the exact cuttings of the each puzzle piece (not a single one was still attached to another puzzle piece and there were only one or two frayed cut spots in the whole set), and the high quality graphic printing.

The puzzle itself is made difficult primarily by the use of similar colors throughout. The puzzle pieces are otherwise the standard cut type.

The resulting artwork is something that we've decided to actually frame and hang in my office, which we have never done over the years (puzzles can be very calming to work on after a long week of long and stressful work hours - especially when working on them with others). The puzzle cuts are so well done that it is not entirely easy for someone to tell that it is a puzzle from general glancing unless they get up close (within 2 feet) and look at the detail.

I will definitely buy more Ravensburger puzzles and hope that they come out with even more puzzles of this type (old world maps) and same quality.

Feel like a 17th century cartographer
Very detailed, authentic puzzle. You feel like a 17th century cartographer while you work on it. However, the color of the pieces are so similar to each other, and this makes it a very hard puzzle. You should work with your friends and spend a lot of time on it, if you really want to see this masterpiece on your wall. And one final remark, it is not a good starting point, if you are new to puzzle world. For starters, I would recommend puzzles with lesser pieces, and that have a larger color range.

Amazing, challenging & huge puzzle
I've had this puzzle on my wishlist forever and my husband surprised me with it for Christmas. It is a delightful puzzle and a lot of fun to work on. It took me about 3 weeks to complete and looks fantastic. It is the hardest and largest puzzle I think I've ever done, and also the most rewarding since I've always wanted an old world map piece of artwork in my home anyway.

The only "downside" was that at 32" by 48", I did not have a work surface large enough to accommodate the sheer size of this puzzle! I finally built 80% of it on a large kitchen cart I have and the other 20% on another surface, which added a bit of extra challenge for me. Just be aware before you start this puzzle that it takes up a lot of room, and since it's 3000 pieces you could wind up with a significant amount of space taken up by your puzzle for several weeks while you work on it. There might be puzzle mats large enough to roll this puzzle up and store it somewhere out there, but definitely check the dimensions.

I'd recommend getting a few bottles of puzzle-saver glue at the same time so you can save and hang this beautiful puzzle once you're finished... unless you're brave enough to break it apart and tackle it again (not me!!) I've been able to get 2 thin coats on the front and 1 thin coat on the back with 2 2oz bottles of puzzle glue (4 oz total), so plan accordingly.