Denmark - Kingdom of Denmark: Jutland, the Islands of Funen and Zealand, Scania, Halland and Blekinge; Gerard Mercator - Daniae Regnum - 1621-1650

Old copper-engraved map of the Kingdom of Denmark, hand-enhanced, by Mercator, published in 1633 in the Mercator-Hondius atlas.

There is an oval cartouche bearing the title “Daniae Regnum,” surrounded by garlands of fruits, foliage, and ornamental leatherwork, with a scale in German miles. Jutland occupies the left part of the map, with the towns of Ripen, Wiborch, and Odensee, and the islands of Fionie, Seeland (Copenhagen), and Lawland. The Swedish coast, with Elseborg, Falckenburch, Halmstadt, and Landscron, extends to the right, dotted with forests, lakes, and depicted reliefs. To the south appear Holstein, Lubeck, Hamborch, Rostock, Stralsund, and the island of Rügen. Bornholm is shown on the right.

The seas are named in broad calligraphic letters: “Oceanus Germanicus,” “De West See,” and “Mare Balticum vulgo de Belt See.” Near “Heilig landt” (Helgoland), a sea monster with a bird’s head and a scaly body is carved and colored. The cartographer’s signature appears at the bottom left.

- Dimensions: on sheet: 56 x 47.5 cm; on the map plate: 46.9 x 35.3 cm
- Condition: Good overall for a map of this period. There is a central vertical fold and light soiling. See photos for more details.

Atlas Mercator-Hondius
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The atlas called “Mercator-Hondius” reprises the work of Gerard Mercator, whose copperplates Jodocus Hondius bought back in 1604. This French edition of 1633 is signed by his son Henricus Hondius and his son-in-law Joannes Janssonius, who added new maps.

Gerard Mercator
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Gerard Mercator (Gerhard Kremer) was a Flemish-born cartographer and geographer, born in 1512 at Rupelmonde and died in 1594 at Duisburg. Trained in Leuven, he became known there for making terrestrial and celestial globes. His world map of 1569 uses the cylindrical projection that bears his name. His atlas was published posthumously in 1595. His plates were subsequently remade and reissued by Jodocus Hondius, then by his son Henricus, whose editions circulated in the 17th century under the name Mercator-Hondius Atlas.