World map, 1630, by Henricus Hondius (Dutch, 1597–1651) from the Novus Atlas

This popular baroque-style map was originally designed as a frontispiece to Henricus Hondius’s 1630 revision of the long-lived Mercator/Hondius atlas, a work then being challenged by rival map publishers. The decorations include depictions of the four elements—earth, air, fire, and water—and portraits of Julius Caesar and cartographers Claudius Ptolemy, Gerard Mercator, and Jodocus Hondius Sr.

This map is in the collection of The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. Building on Henry E. Huntington’s legacy, The Huntington encourages research and promotes education in the arts, humanities, and botanical sciences through the growth and preservation of its collections, through the development and support of a community of scholars, and through the display and interpretation of its extraordinary resources.

Puzzle size: 29 x 20 in.
Box size: 10 x 13 x 1⅞ in.