FLORIDA,CAROLINAS,VIRGINIA 'VIRGINIAE PARTIS AUSTRALIS ET FLORIDAE PARTIS ORIENTALIS
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One of the many cases of duplication by the firms of Blaeu and Hondius of each other's work. Janssonius' plate is so good that it is virtually indistinguishable from Blaeu's.
Cartographically this map forms a marked improvement on the Jodocus Hondius map of 1606, from which this was largely derived. It also amply illustrates the direction that engraving styles had moved, being more open and florid.
The map depicts two nations' interests, both marked by their own coat of arms. The French claim, being largely present day Georgia, rests on the abortive colonial attempts of the 1560s. Blaeu makes no advance here in geography, following Hondius to the letter.
The greatest improvement occurs in the northern half of the map north of Porto Royal. Whereas on the Hondius the coastline towards C. de Ste. Romano (present day Cape Fear) veered directly east, Blaeu more correctly takes it north-east, placing the cape closer to its true position of 34 degrees.
This span of coastline is approximately that of present day South Carolina's. This now presents to us a more accurately proportioned Outer Banks Region, radically reduced in size but still slightly too far north. For these improvements Blaeu drew upon the extremeley rare DE EYLANDEN , by Hessel Gerritsz, c. 1631. The Outer Banks combine the placenames of Gerritsz and Hondius, often using two different ones for the same area such as C. de Trafalgar and C. ost Feare.
This latter name was often applied to present day Cape Lookout before it was used for its present site to the south-west. Chesapeake Bay was depicted as just a small bay on Hondius' map of 1606 as John Smith was yet to explore these waters.
The Gerritsz terminated at this point, and only two placenames appeared. Blaeu draws largely on the Smith map for much of the nomenclature but introduces some English ones from an unknown source. The most important is Newport nesa, Newport News, founded in 1621 and apparently shown here for the first time on a printed map.
Also new are Bermouth, Stortingen and Arglas. The two Indian figures from Hondius' map form part of the cartouche on Blaeu's.
(Burden) Hand colour.Full margins.Very good/mint condition
code : M1981
Cartographer : HONDIUS Family
Date : 1635c Amsterdam
Size : 38*49cms
availability : Sold
Price : Sold
Jodocus Hondius I(1563-1612) was one of the foremost map engravers of his day; he worked for many Dutch publishers and was also employed by the English map- and print-sellers, Sudbury and Humble, to engrave the maps for John Speed's "The Theatre Of The Empire Of Great Britaine", published in 1612. Hondius married Coletta van den Keere (sister of Pieter van de Keere - also heavily involved in the map trade) thus strengthening his links with the map world at this time.
Hondius bought the copperplates of Mercator's "Atlas Sive Cosmographicae ..." at the auction of Gerard Jr.'s effects in 1604. He added another forty maps, including new maps of the continents and important regional maps of the Americas, before publishing a new edition of the "Atlas ..." in 1606 that was in direct competition with Ortelius' "Theatrum". As many of Hondius' maps were more up-to-date, the Mercator-Hondius "Atlas ..." effectively superseded Ortelius' "Theatrum".
Jodocus also had the plates of the "Atlas ..." reduced at this time in order to publish them in the "Atlas Minor" that first appeared in 1607. Cornelis Clasz and Johannes Janssonius of Arnhem (the elder Janssonius) were the publishers involved in this 'miniature' endeavour.
Henricus and Jodocus II were sons of Jodocus I. From 1619 the "Atlas ..." was published under the Henricus Hondius imprint. Henricus appears to have been heavily involved in the "Atlas ..." from 1619 until 1633 when his brother-in-law's name and imprint, that of Johannes Janssonius, also started appearing on the "Atlas ..." After 1636 the name of the "Atlas ..." was changed to "Atlas Novus" with Janssonius being responsible, in the main, for its publication.
