Iceland Map 1629 Hondius Tabula Islandiae Print - Iceland, Hekla Volcano, Sea Monsters, Atlantic Ocean

This map of Iceland, titled Tabula Islandiae Auctore Georgio Carolo Flandro, was published in Amsterdam in 1629 by Jodocus Hondius. The map is richly embellished, with an erupting volcano, sea monsters, sailing ships, decorative cartouches and the spectacular landscape of the island. Carolus used Mercator's version of the map by Bishop Gudbrandur Thorlaksson as his source. The sheet was first issued by Hondius in 1629 and then reissued by Jansson and Blaeu the following year, with changes, so this is an early state of one of the most popular and decorative maps of Iceland in the Dutch Golden Age. It is a lively sheet, and its volcano and its monsters make it a favorite with collectors who like a map with a story.

Jodocus Hondius the Elder lived from 1563 to 1612 and was one of the most prominent geographers and engravers of his time, and his work did much to establish Amsterdam as the center of cartographic publishing in the seventeenth century. Born in Wakken and raised in Ghent, he moved to London in 1584, fleeing religious persecution in Flanders, and worked for Richard Hakluyt and Edward Wright. In 1593 he returned to Amsterdam, where he lived for the rest of his life and worked in partnership with the publisher Cornelis Claesz. He engraved maps for John Speed's Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine.

A collector of sea-monster maps, a family with roots in Iceland, or a reader of the Icelandic sagas will find a wonderful gift here. TheMapVault's Blaeu edition of the same map, dated about 1640, comes from the later reissue, whereas this Hondius sheet is from the first issue. Like every print in the collection, it ships unframed and is available in a full range of sizes, from a compact desk piece to a large-format statement print. It would suit a study or a library, where its sea monsters may be enjoyed at leisure.