Early European mapmakers began to include rhumb lines in nautical charts for navigators to use to follow a trajectory along or parallel to a single line. But some of these charts and atlases were ornately decorated and never left the cozy fireside. Swirling and converging on the North Pole in this map by Jan Jansson, the rhumb lines turn into a geometric abstraction, showing how rhumb lines could work as a decorative element rather than just as a tool.
Decorative Lines
| Artist | Jan Jansson and Nicolaes Visscher |
|---|---|
| Title | Nova et accvrata Poli Arctici : et terrarum circum Iacentium descriptio |
| Year | 1690 |
| Dimensions | 41 x 52 cm |
| Medium | Hand-colored engraving |
| Location | David Rumsey Historical Map Collection |