Having definite aesthetic appeal. Decorative elements can include animals, sea monsters, mermaids, scrollwork, costumed figures, putti, and so on. Many consider the first half of the 17th century to be the pinnacle of decorative map-making, though many beautiful maps were produced before and after that time. One of the most decorative maps of Malta is Johann Baptista Homann’s Insularum Maltae et Gozae…, Nuremberg, 1720.
