A general privilege granted by the States General of the Netherlands in 1599 established Hendrik Hondius I as a prominent figure in the Dutch publishing landscape. Before becoming a national publisher, he trained in Brussels as a goldsmith and studied engraving under Jan Wierix, eventually settling in the Dutch Republic to build a significant printing business.
Early Training and Travels
Born in 1573 in Duffel, Hondius spent his formative years in Mechelen and Antwerp. Following his father's death, he moved with his mother to Antwerp and eventually apprenticed under the goldsmith Godfried van Ghelder in Brussels. His technical education included drawing instruction from Jan Wierix and rigorous studies in mathematics, architecture, and fortification construction with Hans Vredeman de Vries and Samuel Marelois. Prior to his permanent move to the Dutch Republic in 1597, he completed an extensive itinerary through Cologne, Paris, and London.
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Upon registering with the artists' guild in The Hague, Hondius began his career with a portrait of Prince Maurits. His commercial success was bolstered by the 1599 national privilege, which protected his works from unauthorized duplication within the Dutch Republic. This legal safeguard allowed him to transition from manual engraving toward a sophisticated publishing model. He operated out of various locations including Amsterdam and Leiden before purchasing a property between the Binnenhof and Gevangenpoort in The Hague in 1614, where he later acquired his own printing press in 1620.
Artistic Documentation and Maps
Hondius produced a diverse array of publications including treatises on fortification, perspective, and official portraits. His 1610 collection, Pictorum aliquot celebrium praecipue Germaniae inferioris Effigies, featured 69 portraits of Netherlandish artists, significantly updating the established canon of the time. Throughout the 1630s and 1640s, his output shifted heavily toward maps and technical manuals, though he remained an active printmaker until his death in 1650 at the age of 77.
Fast facts
- Born: 1573, Duffel
- Died: 1650, The Hague
- Citizenship: Dutch Republic
- Notable Works: Pictorum aliquot celebrium, Perspective
- Professional memberships: Local artists' guild, local church counsel
- Primary occupations: Printer, engraver, publisher, cartographer
Questions readers ask
What was the significance of the 1599 privilege?
It provided him with national protection against the unauthorized circulation of copies of his published works within the Dutch Republic.
Did Hondius continue his business after 1620?
Yes, he purchased his own printing press in 1620 and later transitioned to a focus on publishing, with his sons Willem and Hendrik eventually continuing the operation.
Achievements
- Recorded as cartographer, art historian and publisher
