Old Map of the Lothians
Price range: £35.55 through £59.95
Old Map of the Lothians by Joan Blaeu, 1654
This antique map of the Lothians shows Edinburgh and the historic counties along the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. The original title, Lothian and Linlitquo, introduces a densely engraved landscape of towns, castles, estates, rivers and enclosed parkland.
Edinburgh is picked out in red near the centre, with Leith on the coast and the country extending east towards North Berwick and Dunbar. Across the firth, part of Fife and its shoreline provide a wider setting. A large compass rose, coloured county boundaries and an elaborate heraldic dedication give this seventeenth-century map its distinctive appearance.
Reproduced as a fine art print and supplied unframed.
A stunning certified FINE ART PRINT on heavy textured art paper — not a poster
- Direct from the publisher — no middlemen
- Printed in-house in Cornwall
- Free UK delivery — international shipping available
- Produced to meet — and often exceed — museum-quality standards
Size
Fine Art Map Reproductions – Museum-Quality Printing
Unlike most online offerings, our maps are produced entirely in-house, not outsourced to print-on-demand or drop-shipping services. This allows complete control over quality while offering better value. Each map begins with a high-resolution original, carefully enhanced and printed to order using archival papers and pigment inks for exceptional clarity, depth, and longevity. Every piece is personally overseen — no map leaves our workshop unless it is of a quality we would be proud to display ourselves.
Authentic Old Map Paper & Accurate Colour Reproduction
Paper choice is essential to the authenticity of our maps. We use specially sourced 190gsm paper made in the UK from pure materials and traditionally pressed with natural woollen felts. This process creates a subtle, randomly textured surface that closely resembles an original antique document. Likewise the use of premium quality ink fully saturates the paper, producing remarkable clarity, depth, and historical character. Colour fastness and sharpness will remain good for in excess of 100 years!
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The Old Map Company of Great Britain offers a vast and carefully curated collection of the very finest expertly reproduced vintage maps. Our range includes works by renowned cartographers such as John Speed and Willem Blaeu, covering Scotland, England, and beyond. Free UK courier delivery is included, with EU, USA, and worldwide shipping available at cost and calculated at checkout. If you need assistance, our team is always happy to help you choose the perfect map.
RECENT REVIEWS
Verified ownerGot there in time and loves it! Cheers David [Gift from US to UK]
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The print arrived safely and we're delighted with it - a lovely reminder of our honeymoon 15 years ago.
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Historical Background
Blaeu’s Lothian and Linlitquo depicts the Edinburgh region and the historic Lothian counties beside the Firth of Forth. The map appears in Joan Blaeu’s Scottish Atlas Novus of 1654. The engraving itself carries the imprint “Joh. et Cornelius Blaeu exc.”, crediting Joan and Cornelis Blaeu, and combines closely detailed geography with a prominent dedication and coat of arms.
Map Details
- Original title: Lothian and Linlitquo
- Publisher: Joan Blaeu, Amsterdam
- Engraved imprint: Joh. et Cornelius Blaeu exc.
- Atlas publication: 1654
- Source: Atlas Novus, Scottish volume
- Area shown: Edinburgh, the Lothians and Linlithgowshire, with adjoining districts and part of Fife across the Forth
- Orientation: North approximately at the top
- Printing method: Copperplate engraving
- Distinctive decoration: Heraldic dedication, compass rose and ornamental title panel
Edinburgh and the southern shore
Edinburgh stands near the centre of the map, drawn as a concentrated group of red buildings. Leith appears beside the firth, showing the close geographical relationship between the capital and its port.
To the west, Linlithgowshire is separately outlined and labelled. To the east, the coastline leads towards North Berwick and Dunbar, while inland settlements, rivers and estates fill the space between the shore and the upland country. The historic county labels do not correspond exactly with today’s council boundaries.
The Forth and the facing coast of Fife
The broad firth occupies much of the upper half of the composition, labelled in elaborate flowing lettering as the Edinburgh Firth. Part of Fife is shown along the opposite shore, with islands scattered between the two coasts.
Inchkeith is particularly clear in the open water. A large compass rose sends fine directional lines across the firth, giving the maritime space a strong visual presence without turning this regional atlas map into a modern navigation chart.
Estates, parks and historic names
Green enclosed areas punctuate the closely engraved countryside. Together with miniature buildings, pictorial hills and branching rivers, they distinguish the inhabited landscape from the more open upland margins.
The old spellings are part of the map’s interest. “Linlitquo” names Linlithgow, while county and district labels preserve earlier forms of familiar places. Following those names makes the sheet useful for comparing local geography across the centuries, provided its symbols and distances are understood as historic cartography rather than a modern measured survey.
The heraldic dedication
The upper-right corner contains an elaborate coat of arms above a Latin dedication naming William, Earl of Lothian. A crown, supporting figures and a sun motif give the panel a ceremonial character quite different from the practical geography below.
The noble title in that dedication belongs to the person being honoured; it should not be treated as a boundary label or as proof that every place on the map formed part of his estate.
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