Jodocus Hondius's America: a study of its iconographic sources

Abstract

Included among the forty new charts composed by Jodocus Hondius for the 1606 issue of the famous "Mercator-Hondius" Atlas, the "America" is usually considered one of the most splendid maps ever printed about the New World. Of the seventeen ornamental engravings depicted in that map, five compositions are especially significant and show inhabitants from different parts of the world, whereas the remaining twelve represent European ships, sea monsters or marine animals. Despite the well marked influence of the De Bry's "Grand Voyages", several illustrations are based on other sixteenth and seventeenth century works, as the "Cosmographie Universelle" by André Thevet and the Dionyse Settle's report on the voyages of Captain Martin Frobischer. Composing an intricate mosaic, the "America" could be regarded as a tribute to the Protestant expansion in his fierce dispute for the fabulous treasures from overseas.