"America noviter delineata", Hondius, Henricus

Beautiful map of the Americas originally issued by Jodocus Hondius and derived from two earlier maps by Blaeu. The North Pole depicts Frobisher's theory of the Northwest Passage and the South Pole shows the long-held notion of the mythical southern continent. North America retains the peninsular California and the East Coast is beginning to take shape, although it still lacks detail in the mid-Atlantic region. In South America, there is a large inland sea and two engraved scenes, one of which details a cannibalistic feast. Two stylized insets of the two Polar Regions are enclosed in strapwork cartouches. The map is richly ornamented with a strapwork title cartouche, fleets of ships and sea monsters. State 3 with Latin text on verso, published between 1636 and 1644, with imprint of Henricus Hondius and 1631 date in cartouche.

References: Burden #192; Goss #27; Tooley (America) plt. 172.

Condition: A

Expert and invisible paper restoration of some weakness in margins and at left near the border. The border is supplied in very skillful facsimile. This is extremely fine work and invisible except when held to a strong light.