Clive A. Burden LTD. Rare Maps, Antique Atlases, Books and Decorative Prints

The Mapping of North America

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This wall map was first published by Henricus Hondius in 1635 of which five examples survive, only one of which is complete. The dedication states that the cartography is derived from Andreas Bureus (1571-1646) but improved and expanded by Isaac Massa. Bureus was the cartographer to the King Karl IX of Sweden and produced his own six-sheet wall map in 1626. Notable improvements include the Danish and Norwegian coastal areas. Russia is also notably improved. A second edition was published by Joan Blaeu in 1646. Three of the five recorded examples of this state are found in the so called giant atlases which survive from this period. The most famous being the Klencke atlas given to Charles II and residing in the British Library. A further Blaeu edition is dated to c.1665-70 of which just two known copies survive.

In 1674 and 1677 their were auctions of material from the house of Blaeu and at this time Frederick de Wit (1629/30-1706) acquired the plates to Henricus Hondius’ wall map of Scandinavia. To the side are 16 views of towns in the region headed by Stockholm on the left and ‘Koppenhagen’ on the right. Various sources are used for these, Schilder identifying Mattheus Merian for some of them.
This is the only complete example of De Wit’s map with separate title-strip, text to three sides and town views along both sides.
One other example recorded in the Kungliga Biblioteket, Strockholm, which lacks the title strip and surrounding text, it is also uncoloured. Leif Akesson ‘Andreas Bureus – Father of Swedish Cartography’, in ‘IMCoS Journal’ no. 75 pp. 49-54
Mead, William R. (2007). ‘Scandinavian Renaissance Cartography’, in ‘The History of Cartography’ volume 3 part 2 p. 1801; Schilder (2013) pp. 326-33, pl. VI.
HONDIUS, Henricus – DE WIT, Frederick

Sueciae Daniae et Norvegiae Tabula

Amsterdam , 1635-[c.1680]
1460 x 1915 mm., early wash colour, with some foxing and condition issues as might be expected of a wall map, the map itself is made up of six sheets, otherwise in good condition.
Stock number: 7843

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