Item #307710 America Meridionalis. Gerard MERCATOR, Jodocus HONDIUS.
America Meridionalis
America Meridionalis

America Meridionalis

1609.

Map. Engraving. Sheet measures 18 1/2 x 22 1/4 inches. 14 1/8 x 19 3/8 inches. Faint stains and worm holes to upper margins, otherwise in good condition.

Stunning map of South America with an inset plan of Cusco Peru. Eastern Brazil is depicted as an island. Lake Parime or Lake Parima, the legendary lake located in Guiana is located and named. It was reputedly the location of the fabled city of El Dorado - the city of gold. A giant warrior walks over the Andes. Shows the Strait of Magellan, with Tierra Del Fuego as attached to the large southern continent. Mercator's famous moire pattern in the sea is used and relief is shown pictorially. The map appears in the French edition of the Mercator-Hondius Atlas.

Gerard Mercator (1512-1594) was an accomplished mathematician, cartographer, globe maker and engraver but is best known for the Mercator Projection. Incorporating the newly accepted fact that the world is round, Mercator was able to render longitude lines consistently straight on a chart. Although this requires some distortion, it was of great use for navigators, and is historically important, as it is still the most commonly used projection today. Originally created by Mercator, this plate was later added to by Hondius. Although their partnership was only indirect, Mercator and Hondius are one of the most significant pairs in the history of mapmaking. A beautiful example of this map.

Language: French

Price: $1,850.00

Item #307710