Jansson's Splendid Heptarchy Map

"Britannia Prout Divisa Suit Temporibus Anglo-Saxonum, Praesertim Durante Illorum Heptarchia", Jansson, Jan

Elaborate vignettes depicting kings and scenes from Saxon history flank this magnificent map of Britain. The scenes are identical in subject matter to those used by John Speed. However they are presented in the dramatic, Dutch miniature style. The left border contains portraits of the earliest kings, while the right one depicts later kings in the process of conversion to Christianity. Included is a scene of Ethelbert receiving instruction from Saint Augustine and another of Sebert re-consecrating the temples of Diana and Apollo, now St. Paul's, London and St. Peters, Westminster. The map shows England, Scotland and Wales divided into the various Saxon kingdoms, each decorated with its coat-of-arms. A superb example of Dutch cartographic design and engraving. Jansson copied Blaeu's map of the same title, adding several additional decorative elements - compass roses with radiating rhumb lines, three sailing ships, and an escutcheon in Ireland. Latin text on verso.

References: Shirley (BI to 1650) #577; Van der Krogt (Vol. I) #5000H:1B.

Condition: B+

A crisp impression with a 3.5" centerfold separation at bottom and an associated 1.5" adjacent tear in southern Wales that have been professionally repaired with tissue on verso (replacing a previous old tape repair with minor tape stains on verso that do not show through on recto). There are professional repairs to some minor chips confined to the blank margins and minor soiling mostly in the blank margins.