Mercator's first map of The XVII Provinces:  BELGII inferioris descriptio emendata cum circumiacentium regionum confinijs Per Gerardum Mercatorem Cum Priuilegio

Original copperplate engraved map
Fine Handcolor
370 x 465mm
Map #  E-405
$ 1,200

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A fine, early map of the area of Europe showing present-day Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and east past the Rhine River in Germany.  This map was prepared by Gerard Mercator, largely based on places where he had lived and visited.  

The map contains details of numerous cities, towns, and villages in the area.  A ship is in the North Sea.  A large decorative title cartouche is to the west of The Netherlands with a numbered key for important areas within Flanders.

When Jodocus Hondius acquired the copperplates of the Mercator atlas and decided to re-issue them in 1606, he used this map from the Mercator plates for inclusion in his Atlas sive Cosmographicae......    This map has Latin text on the verso with a signature of "I iii" and pages 182-183.  (Koeman, p.620).  As noted by van der Krogt (p. 620), this map is a variant of Mercator's map as "the northern parts of Friesland and Groningen extend within the upper border" on this particular map. It did not extend into the border in Mercator's other BELGII inferioris... example.

This map was completely changed and a new copperplate was engraved and included in the Mercator-Hondius series of atlases by Henricus Hondius from 1633 to 1639-44.  Other copperplates of the area were engraved by Janssonius for use from 1638-42 to 1653-66 and by the Heirs of Janssonius in 1666 to c.1680. 

Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) was one of the most famous geographers of his time noted for his attention to scientific detail and precision.  His name is familiar to this day.   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. 

Reference:   Van der Krogt, Peter. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, vol. 1. 't Goy-Houten: HES Publishers,1997.
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 with the following:  complete, untrimmed margins with a slight waterstain at top of upper margin; solid paper with no separation except for one minute stitch-hole at centerfold (not noticeable from the front and only noticeable from the verso when the map is held up to a strong light). The map impression is strong and clean.