Whole of Scotland

41x35 cm

SCOTIA. Regnum.
Per Gerardum Mercatorem Cum Privilegio

Gerard Mercator (1512-1594), is considered one of the most influential pioneers in cartography. His work on the production of a set of over 100 maps in folio format to be bound into his Atlas began later in his life and after his death in 1594, the task of completing the work fell to his son, Rumold, who completed the third and final part, Pars Altera in 1595.
Pars Altera contained three maps of Scotland: Scotland on one sheet and Scotland divided North and South on two sheets and were Mercator's first maps of Scotland alone. The maps were re-issued several times, most notably by the Hondius family who purchased the plates in 1604, Jodocus Hondius (1563-1612) and his sons, Jodocus Hondius II (1594-1629), and Henricus Hondius (1597-1651) who devoted much of his time publishing and expanding the Atlas until 1646. 
This example of the single sheet map of the whole of Scotland has French text verso published by the Hondius family from 1607.
Some overall toning but in full early colour, with large margins, remains an attractive example of one of the earliest maps of Scotland.

D.G. Moir, Early Maps of Scotland vol.1. p.166