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A scarce early 17th-century map of France, produced by Jodocus Hondius II and issued in 1622.
The map covers the full extent of France, along with parts of neighboring regions—England, the Low Countries, the Holy Roman Empire, Italy, and Spain—with sharp internal divisions between provinces like Normandie, Bretagne, Gascoigne, Champagne, and Languedoc. Ecclesiastical and legal jurisdictions are marked using the key at lower left: Archbishoprics, Bishoprics, Universities (Academiae), and Parlements are all noted, aligning with the cartographer's stated goal of precision in reflecting both secular and clerical geography.
Decorative elements abound: ships sail the Oceanus Aquitanicus and Britannicus, a radiant compass rose orients the viewer, and in the top right, a crowned coat of arms blends the French fleur-de-lis with the arms of Navarre, a nod to the Bourbon dynasty's union under Henri IV and his successors. The style of engraving and color is classic Hondius workshop: ornate, saturated, and rich in texture.
A note near the title cartouche declares that the map is also for sale at Melchior Tavernier.
Jodocus Hondius the Elder (1563-1612), or Joost de Hondt, was one of the most prominent geographers and engravers of his time. His work did much to establish Amsterdam as the center of cartographic publishing in the seventeenth century. Born in Wakken but raised in Ghent, the young Jodocus worked as an engraver, instrument maker, and globe maker.
Hondius moved to London in 1584, fleeing religious persecution in Flanders. There, he worked for Richard Hakluyt and Edward Wright, among others. Hondius also engraved the globe gores for Emery Molyneux’s pair of globes in 1592; Wright plotted the coastlines. His engraving and nautical painting skills introduced him to an elite group of geographic knowledge seekers and producers, including the navigators Drake, Thomas Cavendish, and Walter Raleigh, as well as engravers like Theodor De Bry and Augustine Ryther. This network gave Hondius access to manuscript charts and descriptions which he then translated into engraved maps.
In 1593 Hondius returned to Amsterdam, where he lived for the rest of his life. Hondius worked in partnership with Cornelis Claesz, a publisher, and maintained his ties to contacts in Europe and England. For example, from 1605 to 1610, Hondius engraved the plates for John Speed’s Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine.
One of Hondius’ most successful commercial ventures was the reprinting of Mercator’s atlas. When he acquired the Mercator plates, he added 36 maps, many engraved by him, and released the atlas under Mercator’s name, helping to solidify Mercator’s reputation posthumously. Hondius died in 1612, at only 48 years of age, after which time his son of the same name and another son, Henricus, took over the business, including the reissuing of the Mercator atlas. After 1633, Hondius the Elder’s son-in-law, Johannes Janssonius, was also listed as a co-publisher for the atlas.
![[Tabula Moderna Francie]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/64753.jpg)
