1650 Jansson Wind Rose, Anemographic Chart, or Map of the Winds

Transitioning from the Wind Rose to the Compass Rose.

This is an example of Jan Janssonius' rare c. 1650 anemographic, or wind rose, chart that appeared as the first plate in his Atlas Maritimus - one of the earliest and most significant anemographic, or wind rose, charts to appear in the 17th century. Janssons's chart represents a critical transitional phase between Medieval and Early Modern navigational methodologies and the concept of direction - to be more specific, the transition from the Wind Rose to the Compass Rose.

A Closer Look

Thirty-two lines radiate out in a circle from the compass at the center, representing the points of the compass rose developed by sailors and navigators in the Middle Ages. Each line is labeled in Greek, Latin, Italian, Portuguese, French, and Dutch, with degrees separated at intervals of 90°, and degrees running 360° from the north. The four cardinal directions are noted in all caps. In the areas surrounding the sphere, each wind is personified by a figure bearing the racial characteristics associated with the region or direction represented.

A Transitional Phase in Determining Wind Direction

This unusual chart represents a transitional point in the perception of direction, or to be precise, the transition from the wind rose to the compass rose. Early mariners in the Mediterranean defined direction by the winds and the directions from which they blew. This idea traces its roots to ancient Greece; Homer identified four cardinal winds, but as navigation and cartography advanced, more were added. Anemographic charts were functional objects and valuable reference tools. Early navigators, referring to the directions as winds, might 'sail by the north wind.' This was exceptionally practical when reliable trade winds dictated ocean commerce. A warm wind from the south, for example, might suggest that maritime passages, closed for part of the year, were now open.

A navigator would have used this chart to compare names for directions. So, he may be using a Greek chart or rutter that identified the winds by the names of Greek gods, but he himself might have been trained to use a different nomenclature, say Catalan or English. With this chart, he could figure out what various sailing logs and navigation books were referring to. While nautical charts did exist in the 1600s, most navigation was accomplished using rutters or 'Pilot Books' that had instructions like this: 'follow the south wind for 3 days before turning with the eastern wind,' etc. Thus, in addition to its obvious aesthetic qualities, this chart was a handy tool.

Publication History and Census

This chart was published as Plate 1 in Jansonnius' 1650 Atlas Maritimus, or volume 5 in his Atlantis Majoris, among the earliest sea atlases. It appears occasionally on the market and is quite desirable, particularly when finely colored and in excellent condition, as is the case with the present example.

Cartographer

Jan Jansson or Johannes Janssonius (1588 - 1664) was born in Arnhem, Holland. He was the son of a printer and bookseller and in 1612 married into the cartographically prominent Hondius family. Following his marriage, he moved to Amsterdam, where he worked as a book publisher. It was not until 1616 that Jansson produced his first maps, most of which were heavily influenced by Blaeu. In the mid-1630s, Jansson partnered with his brother-in-law, Henricus Hondius, to produce his important work, the eleven-volume Atlas Major. About this time, Jansson's name also begins to appear on Hondius reissues of notable Mercator/Hondius atlases. Jansson's last major work was his issue of the 1646 full edition of Jansson's English Country Maps. Following Jansson's death in 1664, the company was taken over by Jansson's brother-in-law Johannes Waesberger. Waesberger adopted the name of Jansonius and published a new Atlas Contractus in two volumes with Jansson's other son-in-law, Elizée Weyerstraet, with the imprint 'Joannis Janssonii Haeredes' in 1666. These maps also refer to the firm of Janssonius-Waesbergius. The name of Moses Pitt, an English map publisher, was added to the Janssonius-Waesbergius imprint for maps printed in England for use in Pitt's English Atlas.   Further Details...

Source

Jansson, J., Atlantis majoris quinta pars, orbem maritimum seu omnium marium orbis terrarium…, c. 1650.    

Condition

Very good. Slight soiling in margins.

References

Koeman, C., Atlantes Neerlandici,Me 164, 1. Van der Krogt, P. (Atlantes), volume 1, page 426. Putman, R., Eary Sea Charts, plate 6. Van der Krogt, P. C. J., Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, P-Rose-1. Rumsey 10056.005.