Jan de Lat (f. 1740 - )

Dutch engraver, cartographer, bookseller, and publisher associated with the later tradition of Dutch mapmaking. Active mainly between the 1730s and 1750s, he worked principally in Deventer rather than Amsterdam, which was unusual at a time when most Dutch cartographic publishing remained centred in larger commercial cities.

Although little is known about his early life, de Lat collaborated closely with the engraver Jacob Keizer of Almelo in producing atlases and folded maps for practical and educational use. Much of his work adapted the geographical scholarship of the French cartographer Guillaume de L’Isle, whose influence shaped European cartography during the eighteenth century.

De Lat’s best-known publication was the Weerelds Hand-Atlas, issued around 1747. This portable atlas contained engraved folding maps intended for travellers, merchants, and educated readers. Its publication in both Dutch and French reflected the international character of eighteenth-century print culture and the continued European demand for accessible geographical works.