1630 Hondius Map of Lake Geneva, Switzerland

An uncommon and beautiful map of Lake Geneva engraved by Jodocus Hondius for inclusion in his 1606 edition of the Mercator Atlas. It is one of the best-detailed maps of the region based on firsthand report, derived from the manuscript map of native Jacques Goulart.

A Closer Look

This southeast-oriented map depicts the Canton of Geneva in detail, centering on Lake Geneva. The Rhone River can be seen flowing into the lake in the southeast and out again, through the city of Geneva in the west. It is a superb engraving, with elegant strapwork cartouches and dramatic, pictorially-represented mountains. The stippled Lake Geneva is graced with an elaborate compass rose, an array of ships, and even a handful of rowboats. Several geese menace the western coastline, while peeking from the water northwest of the compass rose is a remarkably understated sea monster.

Rich Firsthand Detail

The lands surrounding the lake are filled with details that suggest a close familiarity with the region. Vineyards, farms, ruins, even famous springs are noted. Near the mouth of the Rhone in the southeast is a note describing the destruction of the village of Yvorne 'covert d'une montaigne renversee et choute dessus par un grand tremblement de terre l'an 1584 in Mars', a reference to the calamitous March 14, 1584, Aigle earthquake, which also resulted in a Tsunami and seiche in the lake.

The Franco-Savoyard War

There are an array of features which receive specific attention, having been key to the 1600 - 1601 war between the Kingdom of France and the Duchy of Savoy. One, south of the lake and labeled 'La Roche,' is noted as the main retreat of the Duke of Savoy during the war. This is Le Château de l'Echelle, which survives today. To the southwest is the great Fort of Sainte Catherine, erected by Savoy to threaten Geneva, razed by the French and Genevese in December 1600. In the southern corner is the Chemin de Chambery, running from Sainte Catherine towards Chambery, the capital of Savoy. The war was won by the superior numbers of the French, and peace offers were swiftly accepted in 1601. The conflict was resolved in the January 17, 1601, Treaty of Lyon whereby Savoy lost most of its territory west of the Rhône. This included, for example, the Fort de la Cluse over the Rhône at the southwestern edge of the map.

One of the reasons France swiftly accepted Savoyard peace overtures was the possibility that Spain might intervene in the conflict. Savoy, after all, contained a crucial link of the Spanish Road, the route which Spain relied upon for the transport of its armies from the Mediterranean to their war in the Netherlands. Following the Treaty, the Spanish link between Savoy and the Franche-Comte was confined to a single bridge over the Rhône at Grésin (west of this map). This was an unacceptable vulnerability - indeed, France would close the bridge for a time in 1602.

More to the Plate Than Meets The Eye

A sharp eye will note that the map's border, and indeed its plate mark, are truncated at the bottom with an abundance of margin remaining. Hondius' plate had, at that point, been masked off, thus allowing only the map itself to be printed. Examples of this map appearing in the first three editions of the Hondius atlas showed the entire plate: the map was embellished with the portraits of John Calvin, William Farel, Pierre Viret, Theodore Beza, and Simon Goulart, each accompanied by laudatory descriptions. All were Protestant theologians and founders of the Calvinist Church, whose activities centered on Geneva. Hondius was, himself, a Protestant. Although his heir, Henry Hondius, was a staunch anti-Catholic, he appears to have made the decision to remove Calvin and his coreligionists from the present map. Perhaps this was to appease the Atlas' developing, broader European audience. In fact, we are aware of examples of early editions of this work where the portraits have been deliberately defaced. In any case, examples of the map from 1612 onwards mask the portraits, and later maps of the region to appear in the Hondius atlas do not include them.

The Source

Hondius' map was among those prepared for addition to the 1606 Mercator Atlas, the plates for which he acquired from that cartographer's heirs. The map was drawn by Jacques Goulart (1580 - 1622), whose deep familiarity with the region is evident in this, his sole known surviving geographic work. Virtually nothing is known of the man, but it is very tempting to think that he might have been related to the French Calvinist theologian Simon Goulart pictured on early editions of this map. Unfortunately, Simon's biography is as scant as Jacques', and any connection is lost to history.

The Empty Cartouche

Another puzzling cipher with this map is the empty cartouche in the lower left. We have few hints. Another elegant cartouche containing the map's scales balances the work in the lower right. The title of the map and its attribution to Goulart commands the upper border. It is possible that Hondius intended his imprint to fill the blank cartouche, but his other works seldom use cartouches in this way; occasionally his maps would include a descriptive text here.

Cartographers

Gerard Mercator (March 5, 1512 - December 2, 1594) is a seminal figure in the history of cartography. Mercator was born near Antwerp as Gerard de Cremere in Rupelmonde. He studied Latin, mathematics, and religion in Rupelmonde before his Uncle, Gisbert, a priest, arranged for him to be sent to Hertogenbosch to study under the Brothers of the Common Life. There he was taught by the celebrated Dutch humanist Georgius Macropedius (Joris van Lanckvelt; April 1487 - July 1558). It was there that he changed him name, adapting the Latin term for 'Merchant', that is 'Mercator'. He went on to study at the University of Louvain. After some time, he left Louvain to travel extensively, but returned in 1534 to study mathematics under Gemma Frisius (1508 - 1555). He produced his first world map in 1538 - notable as being the first to represent North America stretching from the Arctic to the southern polar regions. This impressive work earned him the patronage of the Emperor Charles V, for whom along with Van der Heyden and Gemma Frisius, he constructed a terrestrial globe. He then produced an important 1541 globe - the first to offer rhumb lines. Despite growing fame and imperial patronage, Mercator was accused of heresy and in 1552. His accusations were partially due to his Protestant faith, and partly due to his travels, which aroused suspicion. After being released from prison with the support of the University of Louvain, he resumed his cartographic work. It was during this period that he became a close fried to English polymath John Dee (1527 - 1609), who arrived in Louvain in 1548, and with whom Mercator maintained a lifelong correspondence. In 1552, Mercator set himself up as a cartographer in Duisburg and began work on his revised edition of Ptolemy's Geographia. He also taught mathematics in Duisburg from 1559 to 1562. In 1564, he became the Court Cosmographer to Duke Wilhelm of Cleve. During this period, he began to perfect the novel projection for which he is best remembered. The 'Mercator Projection' was first used in 1569 for a massive world map on 18 sheets. On May 5, 1590 Mercator had a stroke which left him paralyzed on his left side. He slowly recovered but suffered frustration at his inability to continue making maps. By 1592, he recovered enough that he was able to work again but by that time he was losing his vision. He had a second stroke near the end of 1593, after which he briefly lost speech. He recovered some power of speech before a third stroke marked his end. Following Mercator's death his descendants, particularly his youngest son Rumold (1541 - December 31, 1599) completed many of his maps and in 1595, published his Atlas. Nonetheless, lacking their father's drive and genius, the firm but languished under heavy competition from Abraham Ortelius. It was not until Mercator's plates were purchased and republished (Mercator / Hondius) by Henricus Hondius II (1597 - 1651) and Jan Jansson (1588 - 1664) that his position as the preeminent cartographer of the age was re-established.   Further Details...

Jodocus Hondius (October, 14 1563 - February 12, 1612) was an important Dutch cartographer active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His common name, Jodocus Hondius, is actually a Latinized version of his Dutch name, Joost de Hondt. He is also sometimes referred to as Jodocus Hondius the Elder to distinguish him from his sons. Hondius was a Flemish artist, engraver, and cartographer. He is best known for his early maps of the New World and Europe, for re-establishing the reputation of Gerard Mercator, and for his portraits of Francis Drake. Hondius was born and raised in Ghent. In his early years, he established himself as an engraver, instrument maker, and globe maker. In 1584, he moved to London to escape religious difficulties in Flanders. During his stay in England, Hondius was instrumental in publicizing the work of Francis Drake, who had circumnavigated the world in the late 1570s. In particular, in 1589, Hondius produced a now-famous map of the cove of New Albion, where Drake briefly established a settlement on the west coast of North America. Hondius' map was based on journals and eyewitness accounts of the trip and has long fueled speculation about the precise location of Drake's landing, which historians have not yet firmly established. Hondius is also thought to be the artist of several well-known portraits of Drake, now in the National Portrait Gallery in London. In 1593, Hondius returned to Amsterdam, where he remained until his death. In 1604, he purchased the plates of Gerard Mercator's Atlas from Mercator's grandson. Mercator's work had languished in comparison to Ortelius' rival atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. Hondius republished Mercator's work, adding 36 additional maps, including several he himself produced. Despite adding his own contributions, Hondius, recognizing the prestige of Mercator's name, gave Mercator full credit as the author, listing himself as the publisher. Hondius's new edition of Mercator revived the great cartographer's reputation and was a great success, selling out after a year. Hondius later published a second edition, as well as a pocket version called the Atlas Minor. The maps have since become known as the 'Mercator/Hondius series'. Between 1605 and 1610, Hondius was employed by John Speed to engrave the plates for Speed's The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine. Following Hondius' death in 1612, his publishing work in Amsterdam was continued by his widow and two sons, Jodocus II and Henricus. Later, his family formed a partnership with Jan Jansson, whose name appears on the Atlasas co-publisher after 1633. Starting with the 1606 Latin edition, about 50 editions of the Atlas were published in the main European languages. In the Islamic world, the atlas was partially translated by the Turkish scholar Katip Çelebi. The series is sometimes called the 'Mercator/Hondius/Jansson' series because of Jansson's later contributions. Hondius is credited with several important cartographic innovations, including the introduction of decorative map borders and contributions to the evolution of 17th-century Dutch wall maps. Hondius's work was essential to Amsterdam's establishment as the center of cartography in Europe in the 17th century.   Further Details...

Source

Mercator, G. and Hondius, J., Gerardi Mercatoris Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et Fabricati Figura, (Amsterdam, French Edition) 1630.    

Condition

Very good. Slight wear on original centerfold. Even overall toning. A few older margin repairs not extending into printed area. Original platemark visible. French text on verso slightly cropped at bottom margin.

References

Van der Krogt, P., Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici, 4985:1A.