United Kingdom - The Fens: East of England; Henricus Hondius - Les Fens, Est de l'Angleterre - Gravure sur cuivre, coloris d'époque - Henricus Hondius - 1621-1650

Old copper-engraved map hand-enhanced of the Fens region (East Anglia) by Hondius, published in 1633 in the Mercator-Hondius atlas.

It shows a detailed plan of the marshy region between Cambridge, Peterborough, Boston and King’s Lynn.
The title cartouche, with ribbons and scrolls, lists the six counties involved. In the bottom left, a second cartouche houses three scales (English miles, French leagues, German miles). It is adorned with earthworking tools and a wheelbarrow. In the lower right corner, a large Latin dedication cartouche, surmounted by shovels and rakes, names the lords engaged in the drainage. The crowned royal coats of arms appear in the top right.

In the North Sea, two sailing ships and a small wind rose complete the scene. The towns are depicted in vignette, including Ely, Cambridge, Peterborough and King’s Lynn, and the marshy areas are rendered with horizontal hatching.

French text on the verso (pp. 137 and 140), “Description des pais inondés, appellés The Fenns,” with historiated initial and typographic bandeau.

- Dimensions: on the 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. Presence of a vertical central crease, brown damp stains in the upper margin and slight 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 were bought back by Jodocus Hondius in 1604. This French edition of 1633 is signed by his son Henricus Hondius and his son-in-law Joannes Janssonius, who augmented it with new maps.

Henricus Hondius
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Henricus Hondius (1597-1651) was a Dutch cartographer, engraver and publisher, son of Jodocus Hondius. After his father’s death in 1612, he continued the family business in Amsterdam, notably the publication of the atlas based on Gerard Mercator’s plates. From the 1630s, he published this atlas in partnership with his brother-in-law Johannes Janssonius.