Johannes van Keulen, a 17th century Dutch cartographer, was an eminent map maker of the world. He was baptized on 8th January, 1654 at St Niclauss Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam. Johannes van Keulen, the son of Lucas van Keulen, established himself in the city of Amsterdam in 1677. During this period he was involved in sea trade and hence acquired a lot of knowledge about maps and and marine charts.He registered himself as ‘Cross staff-maker and bookseller’ with Amsterdam Booksellers Guild in 1678.
At this time, most of the instrument makers and chart makers like Goos, Jasonius and others had closed down. Many cartographers were gradually losing their fame during this period. As a result, Johannes got enough opportunity to prove his mettle. He received a lot of help from the works of his predecessors.
Works of Johannes van Keulen
Johannes van Keulen published a number of cross staffs and manuals, along with ‘Zee Atlas’ and ‘Zee Fakkel’, in numerous languages such as Spanish, French, English and Italian. These books were used by the steersmen for safe navigation. He is also said to have obtained a patent in 1680 from States of Holland and West Friesland. Johannes van Keulen was succeeded by his son, Gerard van Keulen.