Joseph Mulder

Joseph Mulder (1659–1710) was a Dutch engraver and mapmaker renowned for his expert engraving skills. He was born in Amsterdam at the height of the Golden Age of Dutch cartography and would join the ranks of Amsterdam’s artistic community from a young age. Mulder primarily worked on illustrations and maps for books and scientific works and is perhaps best known for his work on Maria Sibylla Merian’s Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium (1705), a groundbreaking study of the flora and fauna of Suriname. The engravings in this work were praised for their precision and artistic beauty and contributed significantly to the volume’s broad recognition.

Mulder collaborated with several notable publishers in the Netherlands and beyond, particularly projects involving natural history, cartography, and religious thought. In addition to his work with Merian, Mulder also created several vital maps, including the first printed plan of Lima in 1688. This map was engraved in Antwerp to accompany Francisco Echave y Assu’s work La estrella de Lima convertida en sol, which celebrated the beatification of Saint Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo. The map is considered a rare and significant piece of cartographic history, as it offers one of the earliest detailed representations of Lima. Mulder’s skill as an engraver made him a sought-after artist for such projects, and his work is still recognized for its craftsmanship and attention to detail.