Poli Arctici, et Circumiacentium Terrarum Descriptio Novissima

This striking map of the North Polar regions, published in 1636 by Henricus Hondius, is a milestone in early polar cartography. It represents the third state of the plate and the first fully finished version, distinguished by its detailed whaling vignettes celebrating the booming Dutch whaling industry of the 17th century.

The map depicts the world from the 50th parallel northward. The seas between Tartary in Asia and Baffin Bay in North America are intentionally left open, reflecting the hopes of early explorers for a navigable Northeast or Northwest Passage to China. Many place names commemorate these expeditions. Eastern Tartary appears as incognita, and the coastlines of Nova Zemla, Spitsbergen, and parts of Greenland remain unfinished – mirroring the unknown Arctic of the time.

Notable is Iceland, shown with Mount Hekla mid-eruption. East of Ireland lies tiny Brasil, a mythical island said to appear to sailors through the mist – a legend dating back to the Middle Ages. Greenland appears massive but vaguely connected to North America, highlighting the uncertain geography caused by persistent sea ice.

The map also features Hudson’s Bay, James Bay, and many toponyms honoring explorers like Hudson, Button, and Thomas James, who sailed to the region in 1631. Two decorative cartouches adorn the map: one near the pole holds the title and maker’s name, while the other in Tartary was later filled in with Frederick de Wit’s publishing imprint.

The most captivating detail is the series of vignettes at the map’s four corners: ships, whalers in small boats, harpooning, hauling ashore, and rendering the catch – a vivid testament to the Dutch economic ambitions in the Labrador seas. This was also the first map to display Dutch place names on that coast.

Philip D. Burden in The Mapping of North America about this map:

This map first appeared in the Latin Appendix of 1637 alongside the one it would eventually replace... Loosly based in format on his own Atlas minor plate of 1628, cartographically it draws upon the Hondius, 1636. It did, however, end up being the prototype of many later maps such as Willem Blaeu, c. 1638, and Moses Pitt, 1680.
The unknown north-west coast is conveniently hidden behind a decorative title cartouche. Two foxes, two hunters and a polar bear grace a second cartouche bearing the imprint. One unusual feature of this map is the attempt to show rhumb lines on a polar map...

The copperplate enjoyed a long life: originally published by Hondius, then reworked by Jan Janssonius, it passed to Frederick de Wit around 1676 and remained in use by publishers like Visscher, Braakman, Renard, and the Ottens until 1739 – a remarkable print history spanning more than a century.

The map offered here is one of the earliest editions. It comes from the German edition of the Mercator-Hondius Atlas, published by Johannes Janssonius in 1636.

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North - South Pole - Hondius, Jodocus - Poli Arctici, et Circumiacentium Terrarum...