ographic ▁elements , ▁such ▁as ▁images , ▁colour , ▁and ▁letter ing , ▁were ▁shared ▁with ▁art ; ▁tools ▁and ▁methods ▁used ▁to ▁produce ▁maps ▁and ▁art istic ▁works ▁were ▁very ▁similar ▁in ▁print making ▁and ▁in ▁map making : ▁co pper plate ▁eng rav ings , ▁which ▁were ▁hand ▁col oured ▁in ▁later , ▁required ▁specific ▁art istic ▁skills ; ▁a ▁significant ▁number ▁of ▁both ▁little - known ▁and ▁the ▁most ▁out standing ▁artists ▁were ▁involved ▁in ▁decor ating ▁maps ; ▁maps ▁and ▁art ▁works ▁were ▁often ▁performed ▁by ▁the ▁same ▁artists , ▁eng ra vers ▁and ▁publish ers ▁who ▁worked ▁for ▁both ▁areas ; ▁artists , ▁eng ra vers ▁and ▁map m akers ▁belonged ▁to ▁the ▁same ▁group ▁of ▁society ▁that ▁determined ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁culture ▁in ▁many ▁areas . ▁As ▁James ▁A . ▁Wel u ▁( 1 9 8 7 ) ▁notes , ▁" For ▁roughly ▁a ▁century , ▁from ▁ 1 5 7 0 ▁to ▁ 1 6 7 0 , ▁map m akers ▁working ▁in ▁the ▁Low ▁Count ries ▁brought ▁about ▁un pre ced ented ▁adv ances ▁in ▁the ▁art ▁of ▁cart ography . ▁The ▁maps , ▁charts , ▁and ▁glob es ▁issued ▁during ▁this ▁period , ▁at ▁first ▁mainly ▁in ▁Ant werp ▁and ▁later ▁in ▁Amsterdam , ▁are ▁distinguished ▁not ▁only ▁by ▁their ▁accuracy ▁according ▁to ▁the ▁knowledge ▁of ▁the ▁time , ▁but ▁also ▁by ▁their ▁rich ness ▁of ▁orn ament ation , ▁a ▁combination ▁of ▁science ▁and ▁art ▁that ▁has ▁rarely ▁been ▁sur pass ed ▁in