1630 – J. Janssonius – Lithuania
350 €
Title: “Lithuania”
Description:
This is an original copper-engraved map of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the French edition of the Atlas Minor by Gerard Mercator and Jodocus Hondius. Johannes Janssonius published it in Amsterdam in 1630, with his newly engraved plates, and the French text was translated by the Sieur de La Popelinière. The map is a reduced version of the great Radziwiłł map of Lithuania (1613), and it shows the Grand Duchy at the height of its extent.
The map covers the whole Commonwealth region from the Baltic to the Black Sea:
- The Grand Duchy: Vilnius (Vilna), Trakai (Troky), Kaunas (Kowno), Kėdainiai, Raseiniai, Biržai, Grodno, Nowogródek, Lida, Minsk, Słuck, Pinsk, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Orsha, Mogilev and Smolensk, with Samogitia along the coast.
- To the north: Livonia and Courland, with Riga, Mitau and Wenden.
- To the west: Ducal Prussia (Königsberg, Tilsit) and Royal Prussia (Danzig, Thorn, Culm), with Masovia, Podlasie and Kuyavia.
- To the south: Volhynia, Podolia and the Kyiv region down to the Dnieper rapids, then the Crimean Tatars (Tartaria Perecopensis), and Muscovy and the Duchy of Severia in the east.
A decorative strapwork cartouche in the lower left holds the title and a scale of Miliaria Lithuanica communia. The map is hand-coloured in outline and is shown in a gilt frame with a mat.
Cartographer: Gerardus Mercator (1512 – 1594)
Publisher: Johannes Janssonius, Amsterdam
Frame size: 33.0 x 29.0 cm
Year: 1630
Technique: copper engraving
Condition:
Good. The impression is strong and the colour is fresh. There is light toning and a few small spots in the margins. It is framed under glass in a gilt frame with a mat; the frame shows minor rubbing.
This is an original antique map published in 1630 and not a modern copy or reprint
On your request I will provide a Certificate of Authenticity
In stock
