Hereditas Antikvárium

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16. Könyvárverés

Antwerpen, 1630k.
An exceptionally rare, copper-engraved “carte-a-figures” map of the American continent (see our lot 145), created by Jodocus Hondius based on his own work published just four years earlier, in 1618. The sheet is part of a series of maps showing the four continents, two more of which are also featured in our auction (see lots 173 and 186). The detailed nomenclature of the eastern coast of North America includes numerous Native American names, and California is depicted – correctly – as a peninsula. The top and bottom left corners of the map field show a side map of the northern and southern polar regions. The ornate baroque frame decoration surrounding the map field shows six cityscapes at the top and bottom, and five cityscapes on both sides, but – since our item was presumably bound in a composite atlas – the protruding part of the engraving had been folded in on the right side, and the right border strip torn along the fold line had been destroyed (as a result, the outer city panoramas had also been damaged). The engraver, Pieter van den Keere used a mirror image of the engraving vignettes of the previous version to depict the figures decorating the map field and showcasing the traditional costumes, and supplemented the cartouche of the title field with the vanitas motifs used as the engraver’s attributes, the clock and the skull. Our copy is the second or third state of the engraving known in four states, published as a separate sheet (according to Burden, the first or second state), and the name of Jan Jansson is indicated as the publisher. In our case, this cannot be determined with certainty due to the missing right border strip since the damage to the right corner of the printing plate is the basis for identification.
Dimensions: 460 x 520 (470 x 525) mm. Unprofessionally restored copy. The decorative border on the right side is missing.
Burden: 207 (state 1. or 2.)., van der Krogt I.: 9000:1C.2., Koeman II.: Me 171. or Me 306, Schilder VI.: 18.2 or 18.3.