Jodocus Hondius the Elder (1563-1612), or Joost de Hondt, was one of the most prominent geographers and engravers of his time. His work did much to establish Amsterdam as the center of cartographic publishing in the seventeenth century. Born in Wakken but raised in Ghent, the young Jodocus worked as an engraver, instrument maker, and globe maker.
Hondius moved to London in 1584, fleeing religious persecution in Flanders. There, he worked for Richard Hakluyt and Edward Wright, among others. Hondius also engraved the globe gores for Emery Molyneux’s pair of globes in 1592; Wright plotted the coastlines. His engraving and nautical painting skills introduced him to an elite group of geographic knowledge seekers and producers, including the navigators Drake, Thomas Cavendish, and Walter Raleigh, as well as engravers like Theodor De Bry and Augustine Ryther. This network gave Hondius access to manuscript charts and descriptions which he then translated into engraved maps.
In 1593 Hondius returned to Amsterdam, where he lived for the rest of his life. Hondius worked in partnership with Cornelis Claesz, a publisher, and maintained his ties to contacts in Europe and England. For example, from 1605 to 1610, Hondius engraved the plates for John Speed’s Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine.
One of Hondius’ most successful commercial ventures was the reprinting of Mercator’s atlas. When he acquired the Mercator plates, he added 36 maps, many engraved by him, and released the atlas under Mercator’s name, helping to solidify Mercator’s reputation posthumously. Hondius died in 1612, at only 48 years of age, after which time his son of the same name and another son, Henricus, took over the business, including the reissuing of the Mercator atlas. After 1633, Hondius the Elder’s son-in-law, Johannes Janssonius, was also listed as a co-publisher for the atlas.
Detailed map of the Beauvais region. The map follows the course of the Seine River.
Rare early map of France, published by Jodocus Hondius. The map is richly adorned with a huge, strapwork title cartouche, a coat of arms, sailing ships, a sea monster and a beautiful compass rose. This is the first state with Hondius' imprint and the...
Antique engraved map of the Perche region of central northwestern France. This example comes from an English-language edition of the Mercator-Hondius miniature atlas.
Fine map of Stiria, from the 1625-26 edition of Purchas His Pilgrims, one of the seminal early 17th Century English Language travel works. On a 13 x 9 inch sheet with English text, front and back.
Nice example of the scarce map of southern Poland, from the Hondius/Bertius Tabularum Geographicarum Contractarum… Krakow is curiously depicted on the shore of a river, well south of the Vistula River.
![Turcici Imperii Imago [shows Cyprus]](/map/small/68676.jpg)
Fine Map of the Ottoman Empire from the Mercator-Hondius Atlas Striking example of this map of the Ottoman Empire, showing their territories in the Balkans, Anatolia, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and North Africa. It was published by Henricus...
Decorative old color example of this fine map of the Balkans and the Gulf of Venice, with a large decorative cartouche. Includes Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and the western half of Serbia, extending to Belgrad. Includes 3 large coat of arms.
Striking map of Brescia, centered on Bergamo and including Milan, Cremona, Brescia, Lago De Garda, Lago Di Como, etc. Covers the region between Lago di Como and Lago Di Garda and extending south to the Po River region. Includes decorative title...
Detailed and attractive map of Sicily with a large cartouche. From the 1625-26 edition of Purchas His Pilgrims, one of the seminal early 17th Century English Language travel works. On a 13 x 9 inch sheet with English text, front and back.
Fine example of Jodocus Hondius' map of Castille, first published in Amsterdam in 1606. The map provides a fine view of early 17th Century Castille, centered on Madrid and Toledo. The map is illustrated with decorative catouches and a coat of arms.
Fine example of one of the most beautiful of all maps of Portugal published in the 17th Century. This is one of the few maps engraved by Baptista van Doetecum for the Hondius Mercator Atlas and demonstrates the elegant style of one of the great master...
Striking map of the Eastern Mediterranean, from Italy and Sicily to Cyprus and the Holy Land, centered on Greece and the Aegean Sea. Includes English text on both sides. From the 1625-26 edition of Purchas His Pilgrims, one of the seminal early 17th...
![Natolia [with Cyprus]](/map/small/44788.jpg)
Attractive full color example of this detailed map of Asia Minor and neighboring parts of the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, showing parts of Greece, the Island of Cyprus, Rhodus, etc. Includes English text.
![Candia [with] Corfu [with] Zante [with] Mion [with] Nicsia [with Scarpanto](/map/small/46356.jpg)
Nice set of maps of Greek islands, with excellent interior detail for the size. From the 1625-26 edition of Purchas His Pilgrims, one of the seminal early 17th Century English Language travel works. On a 13 x 9 inch sheet with English text, front and...
![Natolia [with Cyprus]](/map/small/47443.jpg)
Attractive outline hand-color example of this detailed map of Asia Minor and neighboring parts of the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Seas, showing parts of Greece, the Island of Cyprus, Rhodus, etc. Includes English text.
![Natoliae Sive Asia Minor [shows Cyprus]](/map/small/42928.jpg)
Old color example of Mercator's map of Turkey, Asia Minor and Cyprus. Includes a decorative cartouches, sailing ship, sea monster and finely stippled seas.
