Rare Map of the Day: "Europa from Novus Atlas" Henricus Hondius, 1631

A SPLENDID MAP OF EUROPE FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF DUTCH CARTOGRAPHY

Henricus Hondius

Europa from Novus Atlas

Hand-colored copper-plate engraving

Amsterdam, 1631

In 1604, the heirs of the renowned Gerard Mercator sold his map plates to the great Amsterdam cartographer Jodocus Hondius, who brought out the first of the so-called "Mercator-Hondius" editions in 1606. Hondius supplemented the original 107 maps with 39 new maps compiled under his own supervision, bringing the total number to 146, and had the original text expanded by Petrus Montanus. The new maps were of extremely high quality, and were for the most part devoted to parts of the world that had been neglected by Mercator. Hondius’s first edition of the general atlas proved instantly popular, selling out within a year, and he continued to augment and perfect it over the following years, constantly adding new maps and incorporating new discoveries and corrections. After the death of Jodocus Hondius the Elder in 1612, work on the two atlases, folio and miniature, was carried on by his widow and sons, Jodocus II and Henricus, eventually in conjunction with Jan Jansson in Amsterdam. In all, from 1606 onwards, nearly 50 editions with increasing numbers of maps with texts in the main European languages were printed. This splendid map of Europe is one of the additions that Henricus Hondius made to the atlas, and it represented a great stride forward in the mapping of the region.

Offered at $15,000

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