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![[Den Polus Antarcticus] - Antique Map from 1650](https://antiqueprintmaproom.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/MG_1378web.jpg "[Den Polus Antarcticus] Antarctica, Southern Waters")
![[Den Polus Antarcticus] - Antique Map from 1650](https://antiqueprintmaproom.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/MG_1379web.jpg "[Den Polus Antarcticus] Antarctica, Southern Waters")
C1650
[Den Polus Antarcticus]
Mapmaker:
Rare, c.17th hand coloured Dutch period of the southern hemisphere. This is the fourth state of Polus Antarcticus which was first published in 1652. In this issue the title cartouche has been removed which allowed for the additions of recent … Read Full Description
$A 2,850
S/N: POL-HONDIUS-1650D–510843
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Details
Full Title:
[Den Polus Antarcticus]
Date:
C1650
Mapmaker:
Condition:
Repaired tears to lower margin, otherwise in good condition. With centre fold as issued.
Technique:
Hand coloured copper engraving.
Image Size:
493mm
x 433mm
Paper Size:
572mm
x 488mm
AUTHENTICITY
![[Den Polus Antarcticus] - Antique Map from 1650](https://antiqueprintmaproom.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/guarantee_seal_update.svg "[Den Polus Antarcticus] Antarctica, Southern Waters")
Genuine antique
dated:
1650
Description:
Rare, c.17th hand coloured Dutch period of the southern hemisphere.
This is the fourth state of Polus Antarcticus which was first published in 1652. In this issue the title cartouche has been removed which allowed for the additions of recent discoveries made by Abel Tasman discoveries 1642-1644, of New Zealand and Tasmania .
It was one of the earliest printed maps to show Abel Tasman’s discoveries on the western coastline of New Holland, ‘Nova Hollandia detect Anno 1644’, the southern tip of Van Diemen’s Land and part of the west coast of New Zealand. The large vignettes surrounding the hemispherical map depict scenes from South America and the Pacific region.
Dutch text on the verso.
The first state of the map was first published c.1637 and shows Australia prior to the discoveries of Tasman in 1642 and 1643-44.
The second state c.1645 lists “Ioannes Iansonnius” as the publisher in the title cartouche.
The third state published c.1650 also lists “Ioannes Iansonnius” as publisher but omits the blank cartouche, and includes several discoveries not present on the first or second states of the map.
The first issue of the fourth and final state, of Polus Antarcticus was first published in 1652.
The second issue of the fourth and final state, of Polus Antarcticus was published in 1700 .was issued without text on the verso and has the imprint “Apud G. Valk et P. Schenk Amstel.
References:
Tooley, R.V. The Mapping of Australia. London 1979 :: 730.
Kroght, P. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici. Amsterdam 1997. Nine volumes :: Vol. I, pg. 566, [0030:1.4] 1:435 (Dutch): v5 11 21.
Phillips, P. A List of Geographical Atlases in the Library of Congress. Washington 1973 :: 465.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID: 1051193
State Library New South Wales: 991013627139702626
State Library of Western Australia: MAPR0000396
University Library Melbourne: 11343/113796 (third state 1650)
Tooley, R.V. The Mapping of Australia. London 1979 :: 730.
Kroght, P. Koeman's Atlantes Neerlandici. Amsterdam 1997. Nine volumes :: Vol. I, pg. 566, [0030:1.4] 1:435 (Dutch): v5 11 21.
Phillips, P. A List of Geographical Atlases in the Library of Congress. Washington 1973 :: 465.
Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID: 1051193
State Library New South Wales: 991013627139702626
State Library of Western Australia: MAPR0000396
University Library Melbourne: 11343/113796 (third state 1650)
Henricus Hondius II (1597 - 1651)
Youngest son of Jodocus Hondius I, Dutch cartographer, engraver, and publisher, whose career represents the continuation and consolidation of the great cartographic enterprise initiated by his father, Jodocus Hondius I, and sustained in partnership with Jan Janssonius. Born in Amsterdam into a family of leading mapmakers, Henricus was educated within an environment deeply immersed in the geographical sciences, engraving, and the commercial publishing of atlases. His early training under his father’s direction provided him with technical mastery in both copperplate engraving and the compilation of geographical sources, disciplines that would underpin his later achievements. Following the death of his father in 1612, Henricus, together with his brother Jodocus II, assumed responsibility for the family’s publishing business. During the 1620s and 1630s, he worked in close collaboration with Jan Janssonius, who had married into the Hondius family. Their partnership culminated in the expansion and reissue of the Atlas Novus, a project that significantly enhanced and revised the cartographic legacy of Gerardus Mercator. Henricus’s contributions included the refinement of map plates, the addition of new geographical data drawn from contemporary explorations, and a distinctive stylistic sensibility in engraving that lent the Atlas both clarity and elegance. His editions of the Atlas Novus were notable for their technical precision and for the inclusion of regional maps that reflected the geopolitical realities of early c.17th Europe. The collaboration between Hondius and Janssonius effectively challenged the dominance of the Blaeu publishing house, marking a period of intense competition that advanced the overall quality of Dutch cartography. Beyond his role as a mapmaker, Henricus Hondius II was also an engraver of portraits and frontispieces, displaying an aesthetic sensibility that complemented his scientific rigour. His meticulous attention to typographic and decorative detail became a hallmark of the Hondius-Janssonius atlases. Henricus’s death in 1651 marked the end of a significant chapter in the Hondius lineage, yet his influence persisted through subsequent atlas editions that continued to bear his name. His career embodies the synthesis of artistry, technical skill, and scientific ambition that defined the Dutch Golden Age of cartography.
