Map of Granada and Murcia Antique, 1638.

Fine antique map of Grenade and Murcia printed in black ink and with wonderful ancient hand-painted parts that enhance the black drawing. The map was made in the Netherlands in 1638 by the famous engraver and cartographer Jan Jannsonius and is part of the Atlas Novus made by him and his brother-in-law, Henricus Hondius. The map shows off a really excellent condition: it shows no torn or stained parts, and the watercolors look vivid and bright. The colors (red, yellow, pink, blue and brown) were delicately painted by hand just after the map was engraved in order to enhance some of the parts. In example, the borders of the provinces of Grenade and Murcia are defined by a yellow band and there are also pink bands that mark other borders. The coast is painted yellow too, while the mountain ranges show off a nice light brownish color. But surely, the most attractive images are the two cartouches located at the bottom of the map: the left one is adorned by the figure of a cartographer who is measuring a globe with a compass, while the right one depicts a shield flanked by two rampant lions. The first one is painted blue, yellow and pink and contains the scale, and the second one contains the Latin names of the territories: GRANATA ET MURCIA REGNA (Kingdoms of Grenade and Murcia). The extreme beauty of this antique map of Grenade and Murcia is just one of its many qualities. It is surely a wonderful old-time document, full of charm and character. Measurements: Paper: Width: 22.4 in / 57 cm. Height: 19.6 in / 50 cm. Engraving: Width: 18.8 in / 48 cm. Height: 15.1 in / 38.5 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.