Burgundia Comitatus. Hondius Antique Map of France & Lake Geneva c1635

by Hondius, Jodocus/Henricus

Burgundy to Switzerland and Lake Geneva. Wonderful Hondius antique map of France circa 1635.  with Lake Geneva. (Switzerland is to the south of this map. North is on right side).

Original copperplate engraved map by Jodocus Hondius (1563-1611) for Mercator's atlas: containing his Cosmographicall Description of the Fabricke & Figure of the World with new Mappes and Tables; By the stuious industry of Iodocus Hondy. Englished by W. S.. published in London by Michael Sparke and Samuel Cartwright for the first English edition in circa 1635. This wonderful map is from the atlas of Gerard Mercator (1512-1594), updated by Hondius.

Gerard Mercator was a cartographer (mapmaker), philosopher and mathematician, who devoted the last 25 years of his life to the first publication to be called an "Atlas", which term Mercator used to describe a collection of maps. The word Atlas he used in recognition of the work of the legendary King of Libya who was a philosopher and astronomer, and was believed to habve constructed the first globe.

Gerard Mercator is probably best known today for his representation of the world as a flat projection, by employing mathematics to show the latitudes in straight lines to aid navigation - known today as Mercator's Projection.

This map is in Latin, so has Latin title and place names. Burgundy was a large Dukedom, and Burgundia Comitatus refers to the medieval feudal tradition, whereby soldiers, followers, and other inferiors commit to support their king, lord or leader, and in return he would reward their loyalty with land, goods, or privileges.

Page size is 19 x 29cm (7.5 x 11.5 inches) with good size borders around the map.