Mercator’s Map of British Islands
SKU: 8360
Title:
Mercator’s Map of British Islands
Date of publication:
Printed Measurement:
Colour:
Mapmaker:
La VIII Table d’Angleterre/Anglesey, Wight, Vectis olim, Garnsey, Iarsay
Islands around the British coast were often grouped, in various combinations, by early mapmakers such as Mercator and Speed. Read more
The Hondius-Janssonius map publishing business traced its roots back to Gerardus Mercator. Mercator coined the term ‘atlas’ (after the wise, mythical, Mauritanian king rather than the weary titan) and the original Mercator Atlas (published in parts between 1585 and 1595) was an enormous advance in scientific terms: like Abraham Ortelius, Mercator edited his maps from the best available sources, but he advanced a step further and mapped the world on a standard projection.
However, the Atlas was not an immediate commercial success; the copper printing plates were purchased by Jodocus Hondius c. 1604, and a large number of maps were added for his first edition of 1606, which still traded on Mercator’s name.
His son-in-law Janssonius took over the business in the mid 1630s. He began to erase Hondius’ name and replace it with his own at this time, and eventually expanded the atlas to create an Atlas major which rivalled Blaeu’s.
Condition & Materials
Copper engraving, 42 x 43.5 cm, original hand colour, centrefold split, French text on verso.
References
Koeman, Atlantes Neerlandici, Me 100A Read less