One of the earliest views of Japan and Korea. This
is a very attractive, boldly engraved map.
The map is based on Abraham Ortelius'
map which in turn was based on the manuscripts of the Portuguese Jesuit, Luis
Teixeria, cartographer to the Court of the Spanish
King. Although Hondius follows Ortelius'
misrepresentation of Korea (Corea) as an island, he does add a
text notation within Korea in which he suggests that it might
not be an island.
A strapwork title cartouche is at
the top right. A European ship sails in the waters north
of Japan and a Chinese junk sails below Japan in the
"China Ocean". A sea monster is below
Korea.
Jodocus Hondius
(1563-1612) was the founder of the famous 17th century Dutch map
publishing family. Hondius, along with sons Jodocus II and
Henricus and son-in-law Jan Janssonius, was prominent in Dutch
cartography and competed with the emerging Blaeu family map
business.
When Jodocus Hondius acquired
the copperplates of the Mercator atlas and decided to re-issue
them in 1606, he prepared this map for inclusion in his Atlas
sive Cosmographicae...... This map is from an
edition of 1613. Latin text on verso with a signature of
seven "t"s
and pages 350 & 351. (Van der Krogt, p.708).
This map last appeared in an atlas in 1636. There were later maps of Japan included in the
Mercator-Hondius series of atlases by Henricus Hondius and by
Janssonius from 1636 to c.1680.
References:
Van der Krogt,
Peter. Koeman's Atlantes
Neerlandici, vol. 1. 't Goy-Houten:
HES Publishers,1997.
Fine Condition. Solid
paper, with binder's stub remaining on verso. A strong
impression, finely colored, with wide margins. Some
minor discoloration to outer parts of wide margins.
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