Neapolitanum Regnum

Article description

Original antique hand-colored copper engraving, from the Mercator Atlas, published in Amsterdam, 1638. Depicting Kingdom of Naples, this map is a fine example of 1630s European cartography. Image: 430 by 518mm (17 by 20 inches). An attractive and historically significant 17th-century map for the discerning collector. Hendrick Hondius II (1587–1638) was a Dutch cartographer and publisher, son of the celebrated Jodocus Hondius. He continued and expanded his father's cartographic legacy, purchasing the plates of Gerard Mercator's atlas and publishing the influential Mercator–Hondius atlas, which became the leading world atlas of the early 17th century. Working from Amsterdam, Hendrick refined and updated his father's maps with new geographic discoveries, producing editions in Dutch, Latin, French, German, and English. His maps are characterized by superb engraving quality and elaborate decorative cartouches typical of the Dutch Golden Age of cartography. Works by the Hondius family are represented in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the British Library, and the Maritiem Museum Rotterdam. A decorative map of Southern Italy, showing mainly the kingdom of Naples with neighbouring countries and the northern part of Sicily. The map is equipped with an enormous number of very small engraved place names. Probably near every small village can be found there. Ornated richly with a large figurative title cartouche, equipped below with twelve coat of arms of the various regions in the kingdom of Naples. The map is also ornated with colored scenes of sea monsters and ships in the Tyrhenion and Adriatic sea. A fine example from Mercator-Hondius Atlas, Amsterdam, sought after by collectors of antique maps of Italy, antique maps of Kingdom of Naples, and antique hand-colored copper engravings for sale. In good condition consistent with age. Light age-toning to the sheet, as expected for a 17th-century engraving. Centerfold as published.

Hondius, Hendric – Kingdom of Naples · Copper Engraving, Hand Colored · Mercator-Hondius Atlas, Amsterdam · 1638