Gerardus Mercator Natus Rupelmundiae … Iudocus Hondius Natus in Pago Flandriae dicto Wackene

Title

Gerardus Mercator Natus Rupelmundiae … Iudocus Hondius Natus in Pago Flandriae dicto Wackene

Description

Portrait of Mercator and Hondius, both seated, holding globes, with a map of Europe in the background. Gerhard Mercator, actually Gerard De Kremer, Latinized: Gerardus Mercator, d. t. Gerhard Krämer (Rupelmonde, Flanders 1512 - 1594 Duisburg). Dutch mathematician, geographer, philosopher, theologian and cartographer, who was considered the Ptolemy of his time during his lifetime. Jodocus Hondius, actually Josse de Hondt (Wakken, Flanders 1563 - 1612 Amsterdam). Flemish cartographer and publisher of atlases and maps. The portrait was published in several of the Mercator-Hondius Atlas.

ca. 1610

Artist

Mercator-Van den Keere

Daughter from Hendric and sister von Pete van den Keere, she came from the famous carthographical family -van den Keere of Netherlands. She married the carthographer Jodocus Hondius and made a portrait of him together with Gerardus Mercator.

Historical Description

The title page is one of the most important parts of the "front matter" or "preliminaries" of a book, as the data on it and its verso (together known as the "title leaf") are used to establish the "title proper and usually, though not necessarily, the statement of responsibility and the data relating to publication".This determines the way the book is cited in library catalogs and academic references. The title page often shows the title of the work, the person or body responsible for its intellectual content, and the imprint, which contains the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication. Particularly in paperback editions it may contain a shorter title than the cover or lack a descriptive subtitle. Further information about the publication of the book, including its copyright information, is frequently printed on the verso of the title page. The first printed books, or incunabula, did not have title pages: the text simply begins on the first page, and the book is often identified by the initial words—the incipit—of the text proper. Maps were usually published in atlases. And atlases were books with titles. And, again, titles were individual pieces of art. A publisher emphazised the importance of a book he published with a spectacular entrée. Usually the pictures of an atlas title page pertained in general to the subject matter: Measuring instruments, mythologigal, astronomical, religious, scientific, allegorical hints and facts were united in a composition which depicted the pride of progress in knowledge. An atlas title page often is just one superb artistic and jubilant cartouche.