Famous and important map of the Spice Islands, consisting of modern Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand.

This is one of the most famous and iconic maps of South East Asia published during the Dutch Golden Age of Cartography. It is one of the early maps of the region and reflected the huge initial interest by Holland in an area in which they had large potential commercial interests. Its first appearance was in the Grand Atlas issued by Jodocus Hondius in 1606. This work is generally attributed as the Mercator Hondius Atlas as Hondius used a substantial amount of Gerhard Mercator's maps as a nucleus for the atlas. However, this map was conceived and engraved solely by Jodocus Hondius and remained a standard work within the atlas up to the mid 17th century.

Geographically the map is based on the work of the Portuguese mapmaker, Bartolomeu Lasso, although the layout of the map resembles a very rare and important map by Petrus Plancius; he obtained Lasso's manuscript map and issued it c.1598 in early examples of Hugo van Linschoten's important travel work on South East Asia, the "Itinerario".

Although the main geographical outline can be attributed to Lasso/Plancius, Hondius has added several points of his own to this map: one is the text panel on the lower centre part of the map, speculating on the existence and position of 'Java Minor' as related by Marco Polo in his accounts when returning to Italy in the 13th century; the other is the intriguing note on the unknown southern shore of Java Major stating 'hic Franciscus Dra. Appulit' or here Francis Drake landed, a reference to Drake's landing in South East Asia as he circumnavigated the world 1577-80.

This is one of the cornerstone maps of any cartographic collection of South East Asia.

Beautiful example of the 1630 edition in original colour. Latin text on verso (image available on request). [SEAS5600]