A map of Italy, Sardinia and Corsica. The decorative border shows the native costumes of different regions (including two figures of the Pope and the Venetian Doge) and views of principal cities, interspersed with the Papal, Venetian, Corsican and Sardinian arms.

John Speed (1552-1629) was the outstanding cartographer of his age. His ‘Theatre of Great Britain’, first published in 1611 or 1612, was the first atlas of Great Britain: Speed prepared the maps himself about two years before they were published. This map is from the ‘Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World’, produced in collaboration with Speed to accompany the ‘Theatre’ and published in a joint edition by George Humble in 1631. Many of the maps were anglicized versions of works by Dutch makers, who introduced the carte-à-figure style, with borders of figures in local costume and city views.