Sign In

- Or use -
Forgot Password Create Account
This item has been sold, but you can enter your email address to be notified if another example becomes available.
Description

Rare views of the capitals of the Aztecs and the Incas.

Nice example of Jansson's extremely rare version of Braun & Hogenberg's views of Mexico City and Cusco, among the earliest printed views of American cities.

These views come from Theatrum Urbium Celebriorum, Jansson's version of Braun & Hogenberg's Civitatus Orbis Terrarum.

Lake Texcoco is shown. The lake was drained by the Spanish after its conquest to prevent flooding of the city.

The geography of Mexico City was originally based on Cortés' 1524 Map of Tenochtitlan.

An eight-volume example of Jansson's town books sold for more than $300,000 at auction 10 years ago.

Condition Description
Old Color. Few expert repairs on verso.
Jan Jansson Biography

Jan Janssonius (also known as Johann or Jan Jansson or Janszoon) (1588-1664) was a renowned geographer and publisher of the seventeenth century, when the Dutch dominated map publishing in Europe. Born in Arnhem, Jan was first exposed to the trade via his father, who was also a bookseller and publisher. In 1612, Jan married the daughter of Jodocus Hondius, who was also a prominent mapmaker and seller. Jonssonius’ first maps date from 1616.

In the 1630s, Janssonius worked with his brother-in-law, Henricus Hondius. Their most successful venture was to reissue the Mercator-Hondius atlas. Jodocus Hondius had acquired the plates to the Mercator atlas, first published in 1595, and added 36 additional maps. After Hondius died in 1612, Henricus took over publication; Janssonius joined the venture in 1633. Eventually, the atlas was renamed the Atlas Novus and then the Atlas Major, by which time it had expanded to eleven volumes. Janssonius is also well known for his volume of English county maps, published in 1646.

Janssonius died in Amsterdam in 1664. His son-in-law, Johannes van Waesbergen, took over his business. Eventually, many of Janssonius’ plates were sold to Gerard Valck and Pieter Schenk, who added their names and continued to reissue the maps.