Jan Janssonius
Johannes Janssonius (1588, in Arnhem – buried July 11, 1664, in Amsterdam; born Jan Janszoon), also known in English as Jan Jansson, was a Dutch cartographer and publisher who lived and worked in Amsterdam in the 17th century.
Biography
.jpg)
Early life and career
Janssonius was born in Arnhem, the son of Jan Janszoon the Elder (Jan Jansz.),[1][2] a publisher and bookseller[3].
In 1612 he married Elisabeth de Hondt, the daughter of Jodocus Hondius and Colette van den Keere.[4] His wife Elisabeth died in 1627 and he married Elisabeth Carlier in 1629.
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.
He formed a partnership with his brother in law Henricus Hondius,[5] and together they published atlases as Mercator/Hondius/Janssonius.
Atlas publications
Under Janssonius, the Hondius atlas project was steadily expanded. The work developed into a large multi-volume atlas that later became known as Atlas Major. By 1660, it consisted of eleven volumes and included contributions from about one hundred credited authors and engravers.[6]
Additional volumes were issued as the series grew. These included works devoted to maritime geography, the ancient world, and collections of city views and plans. One of these was the Atlas Maritimus, a maritime atlas published in 1657. Janssonius also issued an extensive atlas of city plans, often referred to as a Townatlas.[6]
The final volume of the series was a celestial atlas created by the German-Dutch cartographer Andreas Cellarius. Published in 1660, it formed the eleventh volume of Atlas Major.[6]
Janssonius died in 1664. After his death the publishing business continued through his heirs and associates, including his son-in-law Johannes van Waesbergen.[6]
Selected works
- Sueciæ, Norvegiæ et Daniæ Nova Tabula, Amsterdam c. 1645.
- Tabula exactissima Regnorum Sueciæ et Norvegiæ (1636), which replaced Hondius II 1613
- Gerardus Mercator; Jodocus Hondius I; Jan Janssonius; Pieter van den Keere; Abraham Goos (1628). Atlas minor: Gerardi Mercatoris a I. Hondio plurimis aeneis tabulis auctus et illustratus: denuo recognitio, additisque novis delineationibus emendatus (in Latin). Amsterdam: Jan Janssonius. LCCN 2017585947. OCLC 1039979074. Wikidata Q130391946.
- Episcopatum Stavangriensis, Bergensis et Asloiensis Amsterdam 1636–1642. The first map to show the Oslo Fjord by name. This map shows Southern Norway with the Stavanger bishopric and the adjoining area of the Bergen and Oslo bishoprics.
See also
- List of cartographers
- History of cartography
- Willem Blaeu
References
- ^ "RKD Research". research.rkd.nl. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ Vintage Maps. "Johannes Janssonius (*1588–†1664)". Vintage Maps. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Weduwen, Arthur der (2017). "Dutch and Flemish Newspapers of the Seventeenth Century, 1618-1700". brill.com. doi:10.1163/9789004341890. ISBN 978-90-04-34189-0. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ^ "Venezuela with the Southern Part of New Andalusia". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
- ^ van Egmond, Marco (27 May 2024). "'Atlas maior' by Blaeu: The result of a true atlas fight". Utrecht University. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d Crouch Rare Books, "Johannes Janssonius", https://crouchrarebooks.com/mapmakers/janssonius-johannes/
Sources
- Peter van der Krogt (ed.): Koeman's atlantes Neerlandici, Vol. 1: The folio atlases published by Gerard Mercator, Jodocus Hondius, Henricus Hondius, Johannes Janssonius and their successors, ’t Goy-Houten 1997, ISBN 90-6194-268-3
External links
- Works by Jan Janssonius at the Biodiversity Heritage Library (in Latin)
- Works by or about Jan Janssonius at the Internet Archive