Everything about Jodocus Hondius totally explained
Jodocus Hondius (
October 14 1563,
Wakken —
February 12,
1612,
Amsterdam), sometimes called
Jodocus Hondius the Elder to distinguish him from his son) was a
Flemish artist,
engraver, and
cartographer. He is best known for his early maps of the
New World and
Europe, for re-establishing the reputation of the work of
Gerard Mercator, and for his portraits of
Francis Drake. He helped establish
Amsterdam as the center of
cartography in Europe in the
17th century.
Biography
Hondius grew up in
Ghent. In his early years he established himself as an
engraver, instrument maker and globe maker. In
1584 he moved to
London to escape religious difficulties in Flanders.
While in England, Hondius was instrumental in publicizing the work of
Francis Drake, who had made a
circumnavigation of the world in the late
1570s. In particular, in
1589 Hondius produced a now famous map of the cove of
New Albion, where Drake briefly established a settlement on the west coast of
North America. Hondius' map was based on journal and eyewitness accounts of the trip and has long fueled speculation about the precise location of Drake's landing, which hasn't yet been firmly established by historians. Hondius is also thought to be the artist of several well-known portraits of Drake that are now in the
National Portrait Gallery in London.
In
1593 he moved to Amsterdam, where he remained until the end of his life. In
1604 he purchased the plates of Gerard Mercator's
Atlas from Mercator's grandson. Mercator's work had languished in comparison to the rival
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum by
Ortelius. Hondius republished Mercator's work with 36 additional maps, including several which he himself had produced. Despite the addition of his own contributions, Hondius gave Mercator full credit as the author of the work, listing himself as the publisher. Hondius' new edition of Mercator's work was a great success, selling out after a year. Hondius later published a second edition, as well as a pocket version
Atlas Minor. The maps have since become known as the "Mercator/Hondius series".(see also:
Katip Çelebi)
Between
1605 and
1610 he was employed by
John Speed to engrave the plates for Speed's
The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine.
After Hondius' death in 1612, his publishing work in Amsterdam was continued by his widow and two sons, Jodocus II and Henricus. Later his family formed a partnership with
Jan Jansson, whose name appears on the
Atlas as co-publisher after
1633. Eventually, starting with the first 1606 edition in Latin, about 50 editions of the
Atlas were released in the main European languages. The series is sometimes called the "Mercator/Hondius/Jansson" series because of Jansson's later contributions.
Hondius'
Mappa Aestivarum Insularum, alias Barmudas dictarum ... (Amsterdam c. 1633) is a famous map of
Bermuda. The ‘Sea Venture’ under
Sir George Somers was wrecked off Bermuda in 1609 and the surviving Englishmen divided the island into Tribes (later Parishes) and Shares, which are individually listed with their owners at the foot of the map. Shortly afterwards the Bermudas were granted to the
Virginia Company, hence various references to the Company on the map including the distance to the Roanoke Colony in Virginia. The miniature map with its own scale, top left, shows the island’s position relative to the Virginian coast. Hondius derived his map from
Richard Norwood’s survey which was carried out in 1622 and published by
John Speed in 1627. It remains one of the most accurate and decorative maps of the period.
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