Pieter Bast (ca 1550 – 17 March 1605) was a Dutch

cartographer Cartography (; from , 'papyrus, sheet of paper, map'; and , 'write') is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an imagined reality) can ...

, engraver and draftsman.

Early life

Bast was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, and was the child of Josyntje Plantin, who was part of the famous printer Plantin family. On 31 August 1601 he married Aryaentje Geryt Schaecken in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

. The following year he bought a house next to the Latin School.

Career

Pieter Bast engraved maps and cityscapes of Dutch cities. He worked on a map of

Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...

. He also worked as a surveyor. The most famous of his works was the map of

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

that he drew and engraved in 1599. It covered a total of four blades and is titled ''Amstelodamum, Hollandiae urbs primaria, emporium Totius Europae celeberrimum''. Since 1544 there was no accurate city map of Amsterdam, so this work has historical significance. The map was published on 1 October 1599 by bookseller-publisher Harmen Allartz or Alardi. The card was signed ''Petr. Bast Au (ie auctor) et sculp (sit) et excudebat, 1599'', which indicates that Pieter Bast was also editor.

Later career

Pieter Bast made further engravings of

Middelburg Middelburg may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe * Middelburg, Zeeland, the capital city of the province of Zeeland, southwestern Netherlands ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Middelburg, a former Catholic diocese with its see in the Zeeland ...

Dordrecht Dordrecht (), historically known in English as Dordt (still colloquially used in Dutch, ) or Dort, is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Western Netherlands, lo ...

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...

Franeker Franeker (; ) is one of the eleven historical City rights in the Low Countries, cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Waadhoeke. It is located north of the Van Harinxmakanaal and about west of Leeuwarden. As of 2023, it had 13,0 ...

, Leiden, and

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

. He also made engravings of historical events such as the siege and the capture of Nijmegen as part of the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...

Maurice, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange (; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Lordship of Frisia, Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death on 23 April 1625. Before he became P ...

on 14 October 1591, the

Battle of Nieuwpoort The Battle of Nieuwpoort (also known as the Battle of the Dunes) was fought on 2 July 1600 during the Eighty Years War and the Anglo-Spanish war in the dunes near Nieuwpoort. A Dutch army met a Spanish force head-on which, although their left f ...

. Other artists he collaborated with include Floris Balthasar and Johan Sems. He was buried in St. Peter's Church in Leiden.

References

* Marijke Donkersloot-de Vrij: Register of Dutch cartographers 1500-1900, Utrecht 2003 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bast, Pieter 1550s births 1605 deaths Dutch draughtsmen 16th-century Dutch cartographers 16th-century Dutch engravers 16th-century Flemish engravers Scientists from Antwerp