Atlas Contractus

After Janssonius's death in 1664, his brother-in-law Johannes Waesbergen took over the business.

To honour Janssonius's legacy and maintain continuity, the firm continued to use the name "Joannis Janssonii Haeredes" (Heirs of Johannes Janssonius).

Waesbergen oversaw the republication of several of Janssonius's earlier atlases, including the Atlas(or Atlantis) contractus.

Intriguingly, this edition features two post-1664 titlepages, both erroneously dated MDLXVI (1556) instead of the correct year, 1666, as noted by Rodney Shirley.

This discrepancy is evident on this title page from Volume 1 of the Atlas contractus.

Zacharias Webber's design pays homage to the giants of mapmaking.

The central figures, three renowned mapmakers, are seated around a truncated columnar table: Gerard Mercator, distinguished by his black flat cap, is deeply absorbed in a map, a pair of dividers in hand.

To his right, Jodocus Hondius, Janssonius's father-in-law, is lost in thought.

On the far right, Janssonius himself, wearing a black skullcap, points towards America, directly engaging the viewer.

A female figure, representing Geography, presides over the scene, guiding Mercator’s hand as he uses the dividers.

Webber's signature as the designer and Joannes de Visscher's as the engraver appear in the lower left and right corners, respectively.