Virginiae partis australis, et Floridae partis orientalis, interjacentumque regionum Nova Descriptio

Reference: S39702
Author Johannes JANSSONIUS
Year: 1639 ca.
Zone: Virginia
Printed: Amsterdam
Measures: 510 x 390 mm
€1,000.00

Reference: S39702
Author Johannes JANSSONIUS
Year: 1639 ca.
Zone: Virginia
Printed: Amsterdam
Measures: 510 x 390 mm
€1,000.00

Description

Nice example of Jansson's map of the Southeast.

Jansson's map of the Carolinas and Blaeu's map of the Carolinas are virtually indistinguishable cartographically, although there are a number of minor differences in the embellishments. Both maps are on the larger 1606 Mercator-Hondius map of the Carolinas but with significant improvements. The map covers an area from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay to Georgia and reflects the competing interests of France and England in the New World, with the coat of arms of each country identifying the regional control. As noted by Burden, the French claims are supported primarily by the French colonization efforts of the 1560s.

As noted by Burden,

The greatest improvement occurs in the northern half of the map north of Porto Royal. Whereas on the Hondius [map] the coastline towards C. de. Ste. Romano (present day Cape Fear) veered directly east, Blaeu more correctly takes it north-east, placing the cape closer to its true position of 34 degrees. This span of coastline is approximately that of present day South Carolina. This now presents to us a more accurately proportioned Outer Banks region, radically reduced in size but still slightly too far north. For these improvements, Blaeu drew upon the extremely rare DE EYLANDEN . . . by Hessel Gerritsz., c. 1631. The Outer Banks combine the placenames of Gerritsz and Hondius, often using two different ones for the same area . . .

Chesapeake Bay was depicted just as a small bay on Hondius' map of 1606, as John Smith was yet to explore these waters. The Gerritsz terminated at this point, and only two placenames appeared. Blaeu draws largely on Smith's map for much of the nomenclature, but introduces some English [names] from an unknown source. The most important is Newport News. Newport News, founded in 1621 and apparently shown here for the first time on a printed map. Also new are Bermouth, Stortingen and Arglas . . .

Includes the marvelous mythical lakes in the interior and other conjectural cartography of the time. Large cartouche, 2 coats of arms, 2 compass roses and several sailing ships. Blaeu's map is nearly identical to Jansson's map. The easiest way to distinguish the two maps is by the erroneous longitudinal number 200 in the lower right corner on Blaeu's map. The correct number (300) appears on Jansson's map.


Copperplate with fine later hand colour, very good condition.

Literature

Burden 254. Cumming 42.

Johannes JANSSONIUS (1588-1664)

Johannes Janssonius, more commonly known to us as Jan Jansson, was born in Arnhem where his father was a bookseller and publisher (Jan Janszoon the Elder). In 1612 he married the daughter of the cartographer and publisher Jodocus Hondius, and then set up in business in Amsterdam as a book publisher. In 1616 he published his first maps of France and Italy and from then onwards he produced a very large number of maps, perhaps not quite rivalling those of the Blaeu family but running a very close second in quantity and quality. From about 1630 to 1638 he was in partnership with his brother-in-law, Henricus Hondius, issuing further editions of the Mercator/Hondius atlases to which his name was added. On the death of Henricus he took over the business, expanding the atlas still further, until eventually he published an 11-volume Atlas Major on a scale similar to Blaeu's Atlas Major. The first full edition of Jansson's English County Maps was published in 1646 but some years earlier he issued a number of British maps in the Mercator/Hondius/Jansson series of atlases (1636-44); the maps were printed from newly engraved plates and are different from the later 1646 issue and are now rarely seen (see Appendix B for further details). In general appearance Jansson's maps are very similar to those of Blaeu and, in fact, were often copied from them, but they tend to be more flamboyant and, some think, more decorative. After Jansson's death his heirs published a number of maps in an Atlas Contractus in 1666 and later still many of the plates of his British maps were acquired by Pieter Schenk and Gerard Valck, who published them again in 1683 as separate maps.

Literature

Burden 254. Cumming 42.

Johannes JANSSONIUS (1588-1664)

Johannes Janssonius, more commonly known to us as Jan Jansson, was born in Arnhem where his father was a bookseller and publisher (Jan Janszoon the Elder). In 1612 he married the daughter of the cartographer and publisher Jodocus Hondius, and then set up in business in Amsterdam as a book publisher. In 1616 he published his first maps of France and Italy and from then onwards he produced a very large number of maps, perhaps not quite rivalling those of the Blaeu family but running a very close second in quantity and quality. From about 1630 to 1638 he was in partnership with his brother-in-law, Henricus Hondius, issuing further editions of the Mercator/Hondius atlases to which his name was added. On the death of Henricus he took over the business, expanding the atlas still further, until eventually he published an 11-volume Atlas Major on a scale similar to Blaeu's Atlas Major. The first full edition of Jansson's English County Maps was published in 1646 but some years earlier he issued a number of British maps in the Mercator/Hondius/Jansson series of atlases (1636-44); the maps were printed from newly engraved plates and are different from the later 1646 issue and are now rarely seen (see Appendix B for further details). In general appearance Jansson's maps are very similar to those of Blaeu and, in fact, were often copied from them, but they tend to be more flamboyant and, some think, more decorative. After Jansson's death his heirs published a number of maps in an Atlas Contractus in 1666 and later still many of the plates of his British maps were acquired by Pieter Schenk and Gerard Valck, who published them again in 1683 as separate maps.