Antique Map of Aragon, 1638

Spectacular antique big-sized map of Aragon, quite detailed and with ancient hand-painted parts. The map is dated in 1638 and was engraved by Jan Janssonius, a famous Dutch engraver who published two great works together with his brother-in-law, Henricus Hodius: the Atlas Novus and the Atlas Magnus. The map that we can see in these images was made with Joan Baptista Labaña; we can see his name in the cartouche located at the top left corner. Under this cartouche there is another one, bigger in size and very beautiful. It has a blue frame and has a crown on top; the crown is held by two naked boys. Inside there is a long dedicatory signed by Henricus Hondius (publisher of the atlases). The name of Joan Baptista Labaña is also printed in the top red cartouche, as part of the following inscription: NOVISSIMA ARRAGONIAE REGNI TABULA AUTHORE IOANNE BAPTISTA LABANNA. Except for these words, the rest of the maps texts are written in ancient Spanish and not Latin, as it was the custom. The frame, the borders and the geographical features (rivers and mountains) are hand-colored in pink, brownish and yellow, creating a singular and attractive piece. This exceptional antique map of Aragon is bound to shine in a great dining room or in the study of a history and cartography lover. Measurements: Paper: Width: 18 in / 57 cm. Height: 22.4 in / 48 cm. Engraving: Width: 21.6 in / 55 cm. Height: 17.7 in / 45 cm.Jan Janssonius History Jan Janssonius (Johannes Janssonius, 1588-1664) was a Dutch cartographer and published, famous for his contribution to the Hondius Atlas. The relationship between Janssonius and Hondius started in 1612, when the first married Jodocus Hondiuss daughter, Elisabeth de Hondt. Janssonius was the son of a Dutch published and bookseller. He produced his first maps of France and Italy in 1616. In 1623 he owned a bookstore in Frankfurt am Main and later he opened other shops in different European cities. In 1630 Janssonius teamed up with his brother in law, Henricus Hondius, and they started publishing the famous Mercator/Hondius/Janssonius atlases. Under the Atlas Novus name, in 1638 the work was composed of three volumes; in 1646, a volume with English County Maps came out. In 1660 the work changed its name for Atlas Major it already consisted of eleven volumes with the work of about a hundred credited authors and engravers. It included a town atlas, an Atlas Maritimus and the Atlas of Heavens by Andreas Cellarius. After Janssoniuss death, the publishing company was continued by his son-in-law, Johannes van Waesberg.