Joan Blaeu was a 17th-century Dutch cartographer and printer, son of Willem Blaeu, who became the official cartographer of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and published the monumental Atlas Maior. After inheriting his father's successful firm in 1638, he expanded the business and produced high-quality maps, including his 1648 world map that incorporated the heliocentric theory and Abel Tasman's discoveries. A devastating fire in 1672, followed by his death in 1673, ultimately ended the firm's most prolific period.