Hondius World Map 1641 — Framed Antique World Map Print

The story of this map

This is one of the most decorated world maps of the Dutch Golden Age. The plate belongs to the Hondius family, the Amsterdam publishers who inherited Mercator’s atlas and kept it going, and the sheet at the Library of Congress is the 1641 printing issued by Jan Jansson, Henricus Hondius’s brother-in-law and partner. The plate had been re-dated for the new atlas, so the map you see is the Hondius design in its Jansson dress.

The border is the reason people fall for it. In the four corners sit portraits of Julius Caesar, Ptolemy, Mercator and Hondius himself, a short history of geography in four faces. Between them are scenes of the four elements, fire, air, water and earth, and the two hemispheres are wrapped in enough ships, compass roses and Latin lettering to keep you reading for a long time. The coastlines are the world as Amsterdam understood it in the 1640s, with a generous southern continent and an island California.

The Library’s scan was made from two sheets, which we align and blend as part of the restoration so the join disappears into the paper.

It is a natural centrepiece for a study or dining room and looks especially good in a black frame with a wide mount. Part of our Antique World Maps collection, it pairs beautifully with the Blaeu and Ortelius maps. Each print is made to order on archival matte paper and framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Hondius World Map, 1641: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration plan: the Library scan is assembled from two sheets, so align and blend the join and match tone across the seam. Crop scan margins, balance colour cast and levels while keeping the paper tone, remove library stamps and scanner artefacts if present, gentle sharpening. No repainting of original content.

Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.

Questions

Is this an original antique map?

No. It is a new archival print of a restored high-resolution scan of the 1641 map held by the Library of Congress, Geography & Map Division. We never sell originals.

What is printed on it?

Both hemispheres with the full decorative border: portraits of Julius Caesar, Ptolemy, Mercator and Hondius in the corners, and allegories of the four elements between them, plus the Latin title.

How big is the map on the sheet?

Each hemisphere is about 27 cm across on a 47 x 59 cm sheet. We keep those proportions, so the map fills most of a landscape print with a narrow margin.

Does it come framed?

Yes, if you like. Order it as a loose archival matte paper print, on stretched canvas, or framed in black, white or natural oak, ready to hang.

Colours vary between screens and paper. The tone you see here is a close match to the archival matte print; framed prints have no glass glare in these previews.

Pairs well with

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print

Blaeu World Map, 1664

Joan Blaeu · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

Ortelius World Map, 1579

Abraham Ortelius · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

The discount is applied automatically at checkout when two or more framed prints are in the cart.

Size	Metric	Best for
16×12 in	41×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
18×12 in	46×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
20×16 in	51×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
24×16 in	61×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
24×18 in	61×46 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
30×20 in	76×51 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
30×24 in	76×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
32×24 in	81×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office
36×24 in	91×61 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office

Hondius World Map, 1641

Before and after

Restoration notes

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print