Kaart van de reizen van de apostelen 1700

This map, created by Dirk Janszoon van Santen, visualizes the journeys of the apostles spreading the Gospel. Notice how the rendering of the sea, the "Middellandse Zee", evokes a sense of both the known and the unknown, with its detailed coastlines contrasting the imagined forms of faraway lands. The map is bisected by the Mediterranean, a symbol deeply embedded in the human psyche. This sea, depicted here with an almost lifelike quality, appears in countless artistic and cartographic representations across millennia, embodying the pathways of trade, conquest, and cultural exchange. Consider how, in ancient Greek art, the sea often symbolized chaos and the untamed, yet also opportunity and exploration. Observe also how this symbol resurfaces in medieval maps, and continues to appear in contemporary art, demonstrating the cyclical progression of cultural memory, and carrying the weight of history.