Map of the Holy Land by Mercator/Hondius @1632

$250.00 CAD

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Title at top in Latin  'TERRA SANCTA’ (Holy Land).

In the upper right cartouche, in Latin ‘TERRA SANCTA que in sacris. TERRA PROMISSIONES PALESTINA’.  (HOLY LAND and the sacred. The Promised Land Palestine).

Top left, scales in Latin: ‘Horae itineris’ (Hour journey) and ‘Miliaria Germa’ (miles germa(?) ).

Map from the Latin edition of ATLAS MINOR (page 679), created by Gérard Mercator, reviewed and corrected by Jodocus Hondius.

Published  in Amsterdam, by Johannes Cloppenburg, 1632.

Latin text on reverse.

Copper engraving, hand coloured.

Paper bit browned, some staining/smudges. Light creases.

27 x 21,50 cm.

Gerardus Mercator (1512 –1594) was a cartographer renowned for creating a world map based on a new projection which represented sailing courses of constant bearing as straight lines—an innovation that is still employed in nautical charts used for navigation. In his own day he was the world's most famous geographer but, in addition, he had interests in theology, philosophy, history, mathematics and magnetism as well as being an accomplished engraver, calligrapher and maker of globes and scientific instruments.

Jodocus Hondius ( 1563 – 1612) was a Flemish / Dutch engraver and cartographer. He is best known for his early maps of the New World and Europe, for re-establishing the reputation of the work of Gerard Mercator, and for his portraits of Francis Drake. He helped establish Amsterdam as the center of cartography in Europe in the 17th century.

In 1604 he purchased the plates of Gerard Mercator's Atlas from Mercator's grandson. Hondius republished Mercator's work with 36 additional maps, including several which he himself had produced. Despite the addition of his own contributions, Hondius gave Mercator full credit as the author of the work, listing himself as the publisher. Hondius's new edition of Mercator's work was a great success, selling out after a year. Hondius later published a second edition, as well as a pocket version Atlas Minor. The maps have since become known as the "Mercator/Hondius series".

 After his death, his publishing work in Amsterdam was continued by his widow, two sons, Jodocus II and Henricus, and son-in-law Johannes Janssonius, whose name appears on the Atlas as co-publisher after 1633. Eventually, starting with the first 1606 edition in Latin, about 50 editions of the Atlas were released in the main European languages.. The series is sometimes called the "Mercator/Hondius/Janssonius" series because of Janssonius's later contributions.

WIKIPEDIA