Lake Geneva & surrounding region of Switzerland:  CHOROGRAPHICA TABULA LACUS LEMANI ... aUTORE IAC. G. Genevensi.

Original copperplate printed map
Fine Handcolor
370 x 540 mm
Map #  E-402
$ Sold

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An attractive, high detailed map showing the area of Lake Geneva (Lemani in Latin) and the surrounding areas.  North is at the lower left on this map (many maps from this period did not follow the present-day convention of always having north at the top).   There is a beautiful compass rose set within Lake Geneva.  Various types of sailing vessels are on the lake as are several sea monsters(!).  Lausanne is at the bottom left.  Geneva is at the right of the lake.  The Rhone River flows out of the lake to the right on this map.

The map contains numerous text legends.  The title is across the top of the map.  The cartouche at the bottom left is blank; possibly Hondius was hoping to have this box contain a dedication to an eminent person.  As referenced in the title, the map maker was G. Geneven.  This map was initially issued with five portraits below the map.  For inclusion into the Hondius atlas, the copperplate for this map had these portraits covered before printing.  The outer vertical neatlines extend below the map indicating where the portraits were placed.

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 the Latin edition of 1613 with a signature of "Ffff" and page numbers of "174-175"..  This map last appeared in a German edition of 1633.  There were later maps of The Lake Geneva area included in the Mercator-Hondius series of atlases by Johannes Janssonius and Henricus Hondius 1630 to c.1680 (vd Krogt, p.656).

Reference:  van der Krogt, Peter. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, vol. 1. 't Goy-Houten: HES Publishers,1997.

Fine Condition overall.  A few minor wrinkles along centerfold.  Some toning in the margins as was common on many early Mercator-Hondius maps.  The map image is clean.