Dirk Jansz van Santen

A renowned print illuminator known as the "master colourist". His clients were the foremost collectors of his age. van Santen's work greatly increased the value of the prints he illuminated, since they used rich pigments and gold. The Medici family once offered 30,000f for a Blaeu 'Atlas Maior' decorated by him. However, he was unlikely to have been paid much more than a normal craftsman.