Busacca Gallery

A Rare antique 17th century map by Jansson, Jan, 1588-1664. A Map Collection of California as an Island. Rare antique 17th century map by Jansson, Jan, 1588-1664 - titled Mar del zvr Hispanis Mare Pacificum: Issued in: Grand Atlas, (French edition)/ Johannes Jansson. -- Amsterdam, 1650. Reissued 1652, 1657, 1668, and later.Issued in: Atlantis majoris qvinta pars, orbem maritium sev omnium marium totius orbis terrarium navigationibus... [Map] 99 / Ioannem Ianssonium, 1657. Map of the Pacific with California as an island of Briggs type, with nearly flat northern coast, and with many place names. Mare Vermio to its east. A large area called Terra Incognita is separated from California by Fretum Anian. Island chain with descriptive text runs northwest from tip of South America to Tropicus Capricorni. Text concerning California appear near title cartouche (upper right), which is surrounded by Asian figures and cherubs. Cartouche (lower left) gives scale in "Millaria Germanica Communia" and is surrounded by cherubs with surveying instruments. Our job is to find and target great art by collecting a vast array of contemporary, vintage, antique and collectible items from across the globe. Individually handcrafted, we breathe new life into these forgotten relics by giving back each piece it's unique story. *All of the art is edited and chosen by us for its high quality and workmanship before posting. These collectibles have been selected with the artist & collector in mind. We are committed to enhancing our customer’s lives by discovering creating, and pointing out only the best art we can find in the world today. We Are Taste-Makers, Art Advisers, Consultants & Publishers Of Spectacular Art Stories. Our job is to be intermediaries between buyers and sellers. We are vetting for high end art patrons. We are determined to catalog the world's most exceptional art and share it with everyone.

The map collection of California as an island by Jan Jansson, also known as Johannes Janssonius, is a rare and notable cartographic work from the 17th century. Jansson was a Dutch cartographer and publisher who was active during the Golden Age of Dutch cartography, known for his high-quality maps and atlases. The map depicting California as an island is part of a group of maps known as "insular California" maps, which were prevalent during the 17th century. These maps showed California as a separate island, detached from the mainland of North America, contrary to its actual geographic configuration. This misconception was based on the explorations and mapping of the time, which were still incomplete and inaccurate, resulting in the depiction of California as an island in many maps of that era. The history of Jansson's map collection of California as an island can be traced back to the mid-17th century when it was first published. Jansson's maps were known for their decorative elements, including ornate title cartouches, illustrations of sea creatures, ships, and other embellishments, making them highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts. The map collection of California as an island by Jansson was widely circulated and used by explorers, navigators, and merchants of that time. It was incorporated into atlases, maritime charts, and other navigational aids, contributing to the European understanding of the geography of North America and the Pacific Ocean during the 17th century. It is worth noting that the depiction of California as an island on Jansson's maps and other similar maps of that time was later proven to be inaccurate as more accurate explorations and surveys were conducted. In the late 17th and early 18th centuries, further explorations by European explorers, such as Father Eusebio Kino and others, conclusively demonstrated that California was not an island, but rather part of the mainland of North America. Today, the map collection of California as an island by Jansson is considered a valuable and rare antique cartographic work, sought after by collectors and historians interested in the history of cartography, exploration, and the mapping of California and North America during the 17th century. It serves as a significant historical artifact, providing insights into the cartographic knowledge, perceptions, and misconceptions of the time, and the evolving understanding of the geography of the New World during the Age of Exploration.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Janssonius

Johannes Janssonius (1588, Arnhem – buried July 11, 1664, Amsterdam) (born Jan Janszoon, in English often incorrect Jan Jansson) was a Dutch cartographer and publisher who lived and worked in Amsterdam in the 17th century.



Janssonius was born in Arnhem, the son of Jan Janszoon the Elder, a publisher and bookseller. In 1612 he married Elisabeth de Hondt, the daughter of Jodocus Hondius. He produced his first maps in 1616 of France and Italy. In 1623 Janssonius owned a bookstore in Frankfurt am Main, later also in Danzig, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, Königsberg, Geneva and Lyon. Elisabeth Hondius died in 1627 and he remarried one Elisabeth Carlier in 1629. In the 1630s he formed a partnership with his brother in law Henricus Hondius, and together they published atlases as Mercator/Hondius/Janssonius.



Under the leadership of Janssonius the Hondius Atlas was steadily enlarged. Renamed Atlas Novus, it had three volumes in 1638, one fully dedicated to Italy. 1646 a fourth volume came out with "English County Maps", a year after a similar issue by Willem Blaeu. Janssonius' maps are similar to those of Blaeu, and he is often accused of copying from his rival, but many of his maps predate those of Blaeu and/or covered different regions. By 1660, at which point the atlas bore the appropriate name "Atlas Major", there were 11 volumes, containing the work of about a hundred credited authors and engravers. It included a description of "most of the cities of the world" (Townatlas), of the waterworld (Atlas Maritimus in 33 maps), and of the Ancient World (60 maps). The eleventh volume was the Atlas of the Heavens by Andreas Cellarius. Editions were printed in Dutch, Latin, French, and a few times in German.



After Janssonius's death, the publishing company was continued by his son-in law, Johannes van Waesbergen. The London bookseller Moses Pitt attempted publication of the Atlas Major in English, but ran out of resources after the fourth volume in 1683.