Historical and Commemorative
Medals
Collection of Benjamin Weiss
WORLD MAP MEDAL
by Halliday, T.?: England, c.1820, White Metal, 74 mm The projection system used on this medal was originally
created by the Dutch cartographer Gerard Mercator, the man best known for
the Mercator Projection. Gerard Mercator was born in Rupelmonde, Flanders,
in 1512, and in his 80 years of life, he fundamentally changed the way
people looked at maps and at the world. In 1569, Mercator unveiled his
famous projection, a new way of making a map that was designed to show
accurate distances between various points. Like so many other scientists of the period, Mercator was
persecuted for his religious beliefs. His inclination towards Protestantism
caused him to move for a time from Louvain to Antwerp, partly to avoid
inquiry into his religious views, but in 1544 he was arrested and
prosecuted for heresy. Though he himself escaped serious consequences, two
of the forty-two arrested with him were burnt, one beheaded, and two buried
alive. This map medal has a projection system similar to that
made by the grandson of Gerard Mercator, Michael Mercator, commemorating Sir
Francis Drake's voyage (1577-1580). The medal is thought to have been engraved by T. Halliday
and struck by E. Thomason. LINK to Sir Francis
Drake (from Royal Museums Greenwich) LINK to
Mercator Silver Medal of the World
(British Museum)
LINK to
Biography of Gerard
Mercator (from NNDB) LINK to
Biography
of Gerard Mercator (from Mark Monmonier)
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