Splendid Dutch Golden Age map of Europe by one of the leading cartographers of the period. Decorated with ships, sea monsters, and strapwork cartouches. The mythical islands of Flanders, Brazil, and Frieslandt appear in the North Atlantic, as does the tip of North America (labeled as Laboratoris Terra).

This map was first issued in 1606 by Jodocus Hondius for his new edition of Gerard Mercator's 'Atlas Sive Cosmographicae'. It is one of 37 new maps added by Hondius to the atlas to show improvements in geography since Mercator's time. The large polar island found on Mercator's map has been removed to reflect the recent discoveries of Barents and Willoughby in the Arctic, including Novaya Zemlya. There are also improvements to the geography of the Baltic Sea, particularly around modern-day Estonia and Latvia. The shapes of Scotland and Ireland are both improved, with Ireland reduced in size dramatically relative to the earlier Mercator map. Norway, Sweden, and Finland are much closer to their correct shapes, while Iceland is no longer an amorphous blob.

In the top-right corner is a panel of text explaining the lineage of Europeans from Japhet, one of the sons of Noah, according to scripture.

Latin text on verso. Original hand-colour. [EUR1587]