Early Life and Artistic Training Jodocus Hondius (Latinized version of his Dutch name: Joost de Hondt) (17 October 1563 – 12 February 1612) was a Flemish and Dutch engraver and cartographer. He is sometimes called Jodocus Hondius the Elder to distinguish him from his son Jodocus Hondius II. Hondius’s formative years unfolded in Wakken, Belgium—a modest upbringing rooted in a shoemaker father and artisan mother—laying the groundwork for his exceptional artistic talent. Ghent became his home where he honed his skills as an engraver, instrument maker, and globe maker under the tutelage of local…