Austria - Styria: the current Austrian state of Styria – Lower Styria, today in Slovenia; Gerard Mercator - La Styrie - Gravure sur cuivre, coloris d'époque - Gerard Mercator - 1621-1650

Ancient copper-engraved map of Styria, hand-enhanced, by Mercator, published in 1633 in the Mercator-Hondius atlas.

There is an oval cartouche bearing the title “STIRIA,” adorned withArabesques and flanked by two perched birds. The scale of German miles is placed just below.
The relief is drawn in perspective, with hatching, and many forests. The towns are depicted by small views, notably Graz, Pettau, Marburg and Radkersburg.
The course of the Mur and the Drave are drawn with their tributaries. The boundaries with Austria, Carinthia and Hungary are highlighted with pink, green and yellow colors. The graduated borders bear the cardinal directions in Latin.

Explanatory text in French printed on pages 593 and 596, with a large ornate initial, a title in spaced capitals, and a wood-engraved drop cap. The coloring is hand-tinted.

- Dimensions: on the sheet: 56 x 47.5 cm; on the map plate: 46.9 x 35.3 cm
- Condition: Good overall condition for a map of this period. Presence of a vertical central fold, some foxing and light stains. See photos for more details.

Atlas Mercator-Hondius
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The atlas known as “Mercator-Hondius” reprises the work of Gerard Mercator, whose copper plates 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 added new maps.

Gerard Mercator
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Gerard Mercator (Rupelmonde, 1512 – Duisburg, 1594) is a Flemish cartographer. He produced a terrestrial globe in 1541 and a celestial globe in 1551, then presented in 1569 the projection that bears his name. His atlas appeared posthumously in 1595, under the care of his son Rumold. The plates were reused in 1604 by Jodocus Hondius, then by his heirs. The atlas was subsequently republished in several languages, including French, by Henricus Hondius.