Adorning the walls of the boardroom at Hiscox are two newly acquired Bermuda historical treasures - early maps of the Island printed in the 17th century.The Bermuda-based re/insurer acquired the two maps, by John Speed and Joan Blaeu, from The Map House, London’s oldest specialist antiquarian map seller, for an undisclosed sum.The two prints are in excellent condition and were pages in an atlas for most of the three-and-a-half centuries since they were printed. On the rear side of each map is some text about the Island.Both maps are based on the work of Richard Norwood, who surveyed the Island for the Somers Isles Company in the early years of the Island’s settlement.The Speed map first appeared in the first atlas produced by an Englishman, ‘A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World’, in 1627, with the example bought by Hiscox coming from the last edition published in 1676. The Blaeu map features original colouring done by Mr Blaeu at the time the map was printed.Hiscox Bermuda chief executive officer Charles Dupplin said the arrival of the maps sparked a lot of interest among local employees in the company’s offices in Wessex House, on Reid Street.“There is a list of names at the bottom and everyone has been going through it to see if they can find theirs,” Mr Dupplin said.The maps divide the Island up into “tribes”, administrative areas created by the early colonists from Britain, and show the whereabouts of houses and churches.“These maps are incredibly accurate for the time, when you consider what they must have had to work with,” said Mr Dupplin, a former fine art underwriter who has a fondness for old maps. He estimated that there were fewer than 100 examples of such Bermuda maps, of comparable quality and from the same period, in existence.“We’ve had them carefully sealed and fitted with glass that protects them from ultra-violet light. We’re doing the same thing to the windows of the boardroom,” he added.Mr Dupplin pointed out the irony that if the maps had been brought “home” to Bermuda in the 17th century, the effects of humidity and sunlight would probably have meant they would not have survived to the present day, and certainly not in such pristine condition.There is very little difference between the maps, suggesting that Mr Blaeu created his visually more appealing colour version by working from Mr Speed’s rather more austere, earlier black-and-white print.Apart from the colour, Mr Blaeu also uses Latin, instead of Mr Speed’s English on the map, and German in his atlas text.“It looks like Blaeu was a much better businessman than Speed,” Mr Dupplin said. “His colour version is much more exciting to look at and using the German language also gave him a larger market.”When directors attend board meetings and overseas clients fly in, Mr Dupplin expects the maps to be a pleasant distraction.“It’s particularly nice for the clients who come here to be able to learn a bit more about Bermuda,” he said. “Not all insurance is interesting, so it’s good to have some interesting props.”Since redomesticating to Bermuda in 2006, Hiscox has built up a collection of Bermudian artwork, including a selection on loan from the Masterwork’s collection. Some Bermuda tourism ads from yesteryear also brighten up the office.Mr Dupplin said the maps would not lose value with time and added that Hiscox was seeking more items of Bermuda interest. With his own background in fine art insurance, he has the connections to be able to find them.“Hiscox is the biggest insurer of fine art in Europe, so we know the dealers pretty well,” Mr Dupplin said. “That side of the business is something I know a lot about and enjoy very much. Hopefully more things of Bermudian interest will become available.”