Two of my main projects are the Italian Wars in the early 16th Century and the Khmelnytsky Uprising in the mid 17th Century, both in 28mm. For my planned hobby room, I wanted to have some maps on the wall showing how Europe looked in these periods. Hence my search for maps of Europe – 1550 and 1650 that would look good on a wall.
I found an artist called Cyowari on a site called Redbubble. The subdued colors of the prints were just what I was looking for. I ordered the small size of 21.9″ wide by 16.4″ high for around $25 a print. Although this size is the smallest it is still quite a reasonable size to put on the wall, especially as I was looking for two complimentary maps. There are two larger sizes available with the largest being 44″ x 33″ for approximately $50 each. The larger sizes would have been too big for what I was looking for, but I am sure that they would look great in the right situation. Shipping was an additional $6.
I then went to Framesbymail to order the frames and matting. The frames were actually significantly more expensive than the maps themselves. There are certainly cheaper options for framing available, but I was looking for a quality product.
I am very happy with how the maps look. The two of them together show how Europe changed and was shaped during the 16th and 17th centuries. The maps allow me to see how some of the many conflicts of the period related to each other. They also will look great on the hobby room wall. I would recommend these Maps of Europe – 1550 and 1650, as well as other maps by the same artist.