One of the most important figures of the Dutch Golden Age of Cartography, Henricus (Hendrick) Hondius (1597-1651) was the younger son of mapmaker Jodocus Hondius Sr. He assisted his father and brothers in the family map business. In 1604, Jodocus purchased the engraved plates of Mercator's Atlas. Many of the maps had been drawn by the highly esteemed Dutch cartographer Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) whose contribution to the history of map-making was immense. He had devised a new projection that revolutionized mapmaking and is used to this day, thereby solving one of the biggest problems facing early cartographers: how to reproduce the entire surface of a sphere on a continuous, two-dimensional rectangle.

The Hondius family updated the Mercator plates and added maps in subsequent editions. This ornately decorated world map appeared in the 1633 edition of the Mercator-Hondius atlas. Employing the Mercator projection and depicting the world in two hemispheres, this colorful map is embellished with iconography representing the four elements (fire, air, water, and land), as well as with portraits of Julius Caesar, 2nd-century geographer Claudius Ptolemy, and the atlas's first two publishers: Mercator and Jodocus Hondius. Henricus Hondius issued the last edition of the Mercator-Hondius atlas under his imprint in 1641.

Our elegantly framed, limited edition version of this historic map by Henricus Hondius makes a classic statement in the executive office, boardroom, or home library.

Geography & Map Division

Dimensions: Print - 16" x 20", with frame: 19 1/8" x 24 3/4"

Price: $225.00

Availability: Usually ships in 2-3 weeks.

Product #: hondius_E_fr