ONE OF THE GREAT DECORATIVE MAPS OF THE AMERICAS

AUTHOR:

HONDIUS, JODOCUS

TITLE:

America

CONDITION:

14 3/4” x 19 3/4”. Uncolored. Laid down on Japanese rice paper with a small area of loss along the right hand border replaced in manuscript.

DATE:

1606/1613

DESCRIPTION:

This is one of the great decorative maps of the Western Hemisphere. Europeans during the Discovery Period were intrigued by the lives of native Americans described by explorers, particularly their more exotic practices. In the lower left of the engraving is a vignette depicting Brazilian Indians making an intoxicating brew from the mandioca root. The engraving is drawn from De Bry and based on the voyage of Hans Staden. An interesting array of sea monsters and ships, including Oriental and Native American craft, are displayed on the map. The figure in the upper right hand corner in a kayak with a harpoon is the famed English explorer, Martin Frobisher. There are several interesting misconceptions in the cartography - the northeast coast goes west to east with a large bulge in Virginia, while the northwest coast heads radically west. The map was engraved by Jococus Hondius for the first edition of his general atlas, published in 1606.

REFERENCES:

Burden, The Mapping of North America, #150.

Inventory No. 7327