HONDIUS, Henricus (1597-1651) and Jan JANSSON (1588-1664)

Europa Exactissime Descripta

Amsterdam: Jan Jansson, 1641 [printed 1649]. Copper-engraved map, from the "Novus Atlas," German text edition. Sheet size: 19 5/8 x 23 inches.

A beautiful and detailed map of Europe, by Hondius and Jansson, two of the Netherlands' greatest cartographers.

This beautiful map comes from the 1649 German edition of Jan Jansson and Henricus Hondius' Novus Atlas, Das Ist: Welt-Beschreibung mit allerhand schönen newen auszführ lichen Taffeln Inhaltende Die Königreiche und Länder des gantzen Erdtreichs. This monumental work was the inheritor of the legacy of the great atlas first published in 1595 by Rumold Mercator, and later re-issued and revised by Jodocus Hondius and family. In 1630, Willem Blaeu dramatically entered the land atlas market, compelling Jansson and Hondius to mount this powerful reprise. This map of Europe, Europa Exactissime Descripta is originally dated 1631, is present here in the second state. Many details regarding the configuration and political boundaries derive from Mercator's map of Europe. The dedication to Louis XIII of France alludes to the alliance forged between France and the United Provinces in 1630, a pact engineered by Cardinal Richelieu which helped guarantee Holland's independence from Spain. (Spain's continued effort to re-invest Holland was one of the ongoing causes of the Thirty Years' War). Hondius and Jan Jansson were prominent Dutch cartographers and publishers during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography. Henricus was the son of the renowned Jodocus Hondius, who had acquired the plates of Gerard Mercator and expanded the family's cartographic business. Henricus, in partnership with his brother-in-law Jan Jansson, continued the family's publishing legacy, producing influential maps and atlases. Jansson played a key role in expanding the Atlas Mercator-Hondius, which became one of the most important map collections of the 17th century. Their collaborative efforts significantly shaped the competitive landscape of Dutch cartography, and their works remained influential for generations.

Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, 1000:1D.2 (1631 edition).

Item #41879

Price: $1,400.00