This
beautifully hand coloured original antique map
of the South Lorraine region of France - centering on
the Moselle River with the city of Nancy to the north Faucogney-et-la-Mer
to the south & the Meuse River to the west - by Gerard
Mercator was published by Joducus
Hondius in the 1638 edition of Mercators Atlas.
Jodocus
Hondius (1563 - 1612), one of the most notable engravers
of his time, is known for his work in association with
many of the cartographers and publishers prominent at
the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the
seventeenth century.
In 1604
Hondius bought the plates of Mercator's Atlas which, in
spite of its excellence, had not competed successfully
with the continuing demand of Abraham Ortelius's
Theatrum Orbis
Terrarum.
To meet this competition Hondius added about 40 maps to
Mercator's original number and from 1606 published
enlarged editions in many languages, still under
Mercator's name but with his own name as publisher.
These atlases have become known as the Mercator/Hondius
series. The following year the maps were re-engraved in
miniature form and issued as a pocket
Atlas Minor.
After the death of Jodocus Hondius the Elder in 1612,
work on the two atlases, folio and miniature, was
carried on by his widow and sons, Jodocus II and
Henricus, and eventually in conjunction with Jan Jansson
in Amsterdam. In all, from 1606 onwards, nearly 50
editions with increasing numbers of maps with texts in
the main European languages were printed.
(Ref: Koeman; M&B; Tooley)
Condition Report:
Paper
thickness and quality: - Heavy, stained & weak in places
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, pink, green
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 21 1/2in x 17 1/2in (545mm x 445mm)
Plate size: - 19 1/2in x 15 1/2in (500mm x 395mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (15mm)
Imperfections:
Margins: - Uniform age toning
Plate area: - Uniform age toning
Verso: - Uniform age toning
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