The exact dating of the map is uncertain. It is highly unlikely to have been published earlier than 1589, a year after Cavendish returned. It has been suggested that it was produced sometime in the early 1590s, whilst Jodocus Hondius was still in London. Rodney Shirley (2001, 81), however, counters that the map is too finished to be attributed to such a date; this, together with the fact that some copies are mounted as broadsides with Dutch text, makes a date of post 1594, when Hondius had returned to Amsterdam, more likely. One might equally argue that both theories are true. As Hondius must have owned the copperplate, publication in both London and Amsterdam is probable.

This map highlights the voyages of Drake and Cavendish by stripping much of the descriptive text from the land, which highlights the information pertaining to the expeditions. The Latin text below the title gives a brief description of both men's voyages: Drake left England on 13 December 1577 with five ‘well-equipped ships’, returning on 27 September 1580 ‘with great glory but with one ship only, the others destroyed by fire and storms at sea’; Cavendish, who fared rather better, ‘took the same course round the world but with less loss and in a shorter time’, leaving on 21 July 1586 and returning on 15 September 1588. ‘He acquired great riches and the admiration of all his countrymen’.

The map also takes the uncommon step of splitting North America between its Eastern and Western Hemispheres. Although unusual, it does have the effect of highlighting the voyages’ ports of call in South America, the western coast of North America and the Spice Islands. The map’s cartographic importance lies in its depiction of the great Southern Continent, with Tierra del Fuego clearly distinct from Terra Australis.

Below the title is the royal coat-of-arms of Queen Elizabeth I (ruled 1533–1603), with a vignette of the Golden Hind, Drake's flagship, below. The text to the left of the vignette states that the ship now resides at Dartford. To the corners are four further illustrations of the ship.

The Sunderland Collection

This rare broadsheet map was produced by the master engraver Jodocus Hondius between 1589 and 1595. It celebrates the voyages of Sir Francis Drake (c.1540-1596) and Sir Cavendish (1560–1592), the first Englishmen - and only the second and fourth men - to circumnavigate the globe. These voyages were very significant because they directly challenged Spain's supremacy over the 'New World'.

The decorative elements surrounding this world map are exquisitely rendered and minutely detailed. They include birds, fruit, putti, Drake's 'Golden Hind' and Cavendish's ships, and the English royal coat of arms.

Hondius was one of the leading Dutch cartographers and engravers of his day. Between 1584 and 1593 he lived and worked in London where he took a particular interest in Sir Francis Drake's voyages and the man himself, with several engravings of the explorer attributed to him. Hondius’s residence in London also bears witness to the close ties between the English and the Dutch at the time. Both were young seafaring nations who were eager to compete with Spain and Portugal for the resources of the New World and the spice trade of the Moluccas (or the Maluku Islands in Indonesia).

Rare separately issued broadsheet world map depicting the voyages of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Cavendish, and completed by one of the greatest map engravers of his day.

Hondius's 'Drake Map'