Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612). China. (Amsterdam: 1636). Published in Mercator-Hondius Atlas Sive Cosmographie . . . German text. Copperplate engraving with fine original hand color. 13 1/2 x 18 1/8 in. with wide margins. Minor wrinkling; several spots of soiling in margins; frame ready with hinges. Overall, a fine example. $3,500.
$3,500.00
This map was groundbreaking in its time as one of the first and most influential maps to focus on the region. It covers Japan, Korea, parts of India and the Philippines, and the northwestern edge of North America. Hondius most likely used Portuguese mapmakers Jorge Luis de Barbuda’s 1584 depiction of China and Luis Teixera’s 1595 depiction of Japan to inform this map.
The Great Wall is shown in the north of China, and to the left is an illustration of a Chinese wind-blown land vehicle. The mythical Strait of Anian is shown between Asia and America. Two ships, one similar to a Chinese junk and the other European, sail the Pacific Ocean. A decorative cartouche includes a description and illustration of a Japanese crucifixion of Christians. A characteristic illustrative style, is the zig-zag moiré pattern engraved on the seas producing a ‘silk effect.’
A large cartouche at top left contains the map title. A set of scale bars in German miles and Spanish leagues are included at bottom right of the map. The map border contains cardinal directions in traditional Latin (Septentrio, Oriens, Occidens, and Meridies) oriented with north (Septentrio) at the top.
The text on the reverse of the map is in German describing the climate, national features, inhabitants and the economy of China.
For nearly sixty years Gerard Mercator was the premier cartographer, his name, second only to Ptolemy, and synonymous with the form of map projection still in use today.
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