Claes Janszoon Visscher was a Dutch Golden Age draughtsman, engraver, mapmaker and publisher.
Background
Visscher, who was born and died in Amsterdam, was also known as Nicolas Joannes Piscator or Nicolas Joannis Visscher II, after his father who lived ca. 1550–1612. He learned the art of etching and printing from his father, and helped grow the family printing and mapmaking business to one of the largest in his time.
Career
lieutenant was a family business. Nicolaes Visscher I (1618–1679), and Nicolaes Visscher II (1649–1702) were also mapmakers in Amsterdam on the Kalverstraat. This became a very successful family business, with collaboration with many respected draughtsmen of the day.
A new translation of the bible was underway in the Netherlands, and until then, the new German translation done by Johannes Piscator, published in 1602–1604, was translated into Dutch.
Though probably not a relative, his bible translation was accepted by the Dutch Staten-General in 1602, which only lent more publicity and authenticity to the "Fisher" name. The trademark of the Visschers was a fisherman, after their name (thus the Latin nickname Piscator).
A small fisherman would be strategically placed somewhere near water. If the subject was a landscape without a stream or pond, then often a figure walking with a fishing rod can be seen.
Their map plates were reused for a century by other printers who unknowingly copied the entire plates, including the tell-tale fishermen.
Observant scholars are thus able to trace the provenance of bibles, maps, and landscapes from these signs. Aside from bibles, Claes Visscher II primarily etched and published landscapes, portraits and maps. He etched over 200 plates and his maps included elaborate original borders.
Visscher died in 1652.