Scotland in Two Sheets:  SCOTIAE REGNUM per Gerardum Mercatorem

Original copperplate engraved map
Fine Handcolor
350 x 445 mm (top/north sheet)
350 x 445 mm (bottom/south sheet)
Map #  E-354
$ Sold

Click Here for Larger Image of Top Sheet  

Click Here Larger Image of Bottom Sheet

This is an impressive large two-sheet map of Scotland.  These two maps are not commonly available, particularly with both maps from the same atlas as in this example! 

These are fine, elegantly engraved maps, typical of the attention to detail associated with Gerard Mercator.   Due to their large size, the maps contain tremendous detail on the cities, towns, and villages, etc. throughout Scotland.  North is at the top.

These two maps of Scotland are directly based on Mercator's 1564 map of England, Scotland, and Ireland, printed on eight sheets, which composed 88 x 127cm wall map.  This map was to remain the standard map of Scotland, apart from some minor improvements by Speed, until a new map by Robert Gordon in 1654 (Shirley, p. 78). 

Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) was one of the most famous geographers of his time.   His name is familiar to this day.   Mercator was noted for his rigorous and methodical approach to the preparation of his maps.  He, and his family members, were responsible for the research and development of the maps, and much of their engraving, printing, and publication. 

In 1595, these two maps were published in the famous Mercator Atlas Sive Cosmographicae...   After the edition of 1595, one further edition of this atlas was published by the Mercator family in Duisberg in 1602 with these same two maps.  In 1604, the copperplates for the atlas were sold to Jodocus Hondius and Cornelis Claesz.  In 1606, Hondius introduced a completely revised edition of Mercator's atlas, Atlas sive Cosmographicae...... and used these maps of Scotland from the Mercator plates for inclusion in the atlas, or as it is often called, the Mercator-Hondius atlas.   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 his family competed aggressively with the emerging Blaeu family map business. 

There is Latin text on the verso of the maps describing Scotland (Scotia).  The maps are from an edition of the Mercator-Hondius atlas of 1613 with a signature of "Z" & 61-62 on the top (north) sheet and a signature of "Y" & 59-60 on the bottom sheet.  The north sheet last appeared in a German edition of 1638-42 and the south sheet in a Dutch edition of 1634  (vd Krogt, p. 667). 

Reference:  Reference:   Van der Krogt, Peter. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, vol. 1. 't Goy-Houten: HES Publishers,1997.  Shirley, Rodney W. Early Printed Maps of the British Isles 1477-1650. West Sussex: Antique Atlas Publications, 1980.
There are several recent books about Gerard Mercator that we recommend to increase your enjoyment and understanding of Mercator and his maps:  Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet by Nicholas Crane, and The World of Gerard Mercator by Andrew Taylor. 

Fine Condition.   Beautiful color with a strong map impression on solid, thick paper.  With some minor age-toning/browning to wide margins, not effecting the map impression.  The margins extend well beyond what is shown in the above images. 
These maps were issued as two separate maps, but the two sheets can be framed in such a way to show one complete map (These two maps are from the same atlas and thus have the same paper characteristics; they will look great framed together).