- New
Thusciae Descriptio Auctore Hieronymo Bellarmato
| Reference: | S37763 |
| Author | Abraham ORTELIUS |
| Year: | 1570 ca. |
| Zone: | Toscana |
| Printed: | Antwerpen |
| Measures: | 495 x 320 mm |
€750.00
- New
| Reference: | S37763 |
| Author | Abraham ORTELIUS |
| Year: | 1570 ca. |
| Zone: | Toscana |
| Printed: | Antwerpen |
| Measures: | 495 x 320 mm |
€750.00
Description
THVSCIAE | DESCRIPTIO AVCTORE | HIERONYMO BELLARMATO. [A representation of Tuscany by Hieronymus Bellarmato]. (Panel under title cartouche with 12 lines of text:) "Me Ianus tenuit primus, formataque ab illo | Imposui leges populis, & nomina Ponto. | Inferno, & Supero: missos auxique colonos, | Imperiumq, Italos trans fines; fœdera natis | Dum servata meis, sed me discordia præceps, | Romulæ genti domitam servire coegit: | Que decus antique longo post tempore linguæ | Auxilij male grata mei, male grata laborum | Abstulit, & mansit nomen quod Thura dedere: | Archades aut Lijdi quod vel mutare Pelasgi | Non ausi sacras quibus bas concessimus oras. | Thuscia dixi". [Janus was the first to rule me. Founded by him, I imposed laws on peoples and I gave names to the sea, the underworld and heaven. I grew by founding colonies, as also in power, exceeding Italian borders, as long as my sons remained my allies, but blind discord forced me to serve a mistress, namely the people of Romulus. The ornament of our meanwhile ancient language was cast aside by this mistress, ungrateful as she was for my help and achievements, but the name which the Thurians gave remained: we leave these holy coasts to the Archadians and Lydians, since the Pelasgi were not inclined to move elsewhere. I, Tuscany, have spoken]. (Middle right:) "Cum priuilegio". [With privilege]. (Low left:) "Elba, olim Ilua | Insula inexhaustis chalybum generosa metallis". [Elba, once Ilva, is an island with an inexhaustible supply of steel.] (Low right centre:) "Ansedonia, terminus | patrimonij D. Petri." [Ansidonia, the last home of St. Peter]. (Lower right:) "Coralium hic|nascitur". [Here grows coral].
Decorative and detailed map of Tuscany, from the 1603 Latin edition of Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first modern atlas of the world.
The map is based upon the regional map of Girolamo Bellarmati. Includes an ornate cartouche and a number of sailing vessels. Centered on Florence, with Rome in the lower right corner: “La Chorographia Tusciae di Girolamo Bellarmato (o Bellarmati) rappresenta il prototipo della cartografia a stampa della regione. Di forma leggermente trapezoidale, è composta da quattro fogli uniti. Sebbene priva di scala grafica, dal valore dei gradi di latitudine possiamo ricostruire il valore della riduzione, pari a 1:325.000 circa. Nella lunga dedica a Valerio Orsini, generale dell’esercito dei Medici, l’autore specifica che la carta è utile per la professione sua presentandola perciò quale strumento ad uso militare, politico e amministrativo. Questo prodotto cartografico si basa su dati ricavati da una sistematica osservazione diretta, da misurazioni e rilievi effettuati dall’autore sul territorio. Viene data attenzione a tutti gli aspetti geografici; per i centri abitati la grandezza della raffigurazione è rapportata all’entità della popolazione. Molto curata l’idrografia, ben evidenziata l’orografia che è disegnata con dei coni, di maggiori dimensioni per i rilievi più importanti. Questo pregevole ed innovativo lavoro fu preso a modello per molti anni a seguire ed ebbe numerose derivazioni. Come osserva Biasutti (1908), anche Gastaldi utilizzò il rilievo del Bellarmato per comporre la sua carta della penisola (1561). L’opera costituisce altresì la base per le carte della regione che i fiamminghi Abraham Ortelius (1570) e Gerard Mercator (1587) inseriscono nei rispettivi atlanti. Della carta è oggi noto un solo esemplare, conservato all’Archivio di Stato di Firenze” (cfr. Cartografia e Topografia Italiana del XVI secolo p. 1961).
The Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, which is considered the first true modern "Atlas". The work was published in 7 languages and 36 editions, for which - in 1570 - Ortelius obtained the privilege, a kind of copyright that prevented other cartographers from publishing his works. The Theatrum represented the most advanced work of cartographic description. Ortelius collected in it the geographical and cartographic knowledge of his time, proposing in 147 spectacular engraved plates the most faithful image of the world then known and, in some extraordinary "historical maps", regions and routes taken from literature, mythology, tradition. Ortelius was also the first to cite sources, mentioning the names of cartographers in the "catalogus auctorum". From 1598 to 1612 the posthumous editions of the Theatrum were made by his collaborator Johannes Baptiste Vrients.
Copper engraving, contemporary coloring with touches, expert repairs on the white margins - at the top and bottom edge – otherwise in good condition.
Bibliografia
M. Van den Broecke "Ortelius Atlas Maps" (2011), n. 130 III/III; S. Bifolco, F. Ronca, Cartografia e Topografia Italiana del XVI secolo p. 1961; Karrow 10/1, p. 78-80, Meurer p. 113.
Abraham ORTELIUS (1528 - 1598)
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Abraham Ortel, better known as Ortelius, was born in Antwerp and after studying Greek, Latin and mathematics set up his business there with his sister, as a book dealer and 'painter of maps'. Travelling widely, especially to the great book fairs, his business prospered and he established contacts with many sultured men in many lands. On one such visit to England, possibly seeking temporary refuge from religious persecution, he met William Camden whom he is said to have encouraged in the production of the Britannia.
A turning-point in his career was reached in 1564 with the publication of a World Map in eight sheets of which only one copy is known: other individual maps followed and then - at the suggestion of a friend - he gathered together a collection of maps from contacts among European cartographers and had them engraved in uniform size and issued in 1570 as the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Atlas of the Whole World). Although Lafreri and others in Italy had published collections of 'modern' maps in book form in earlier years, the Theatrum was the first uniformly sized, systematic collection of maps and hence can be called the first atlas, although that term itself was not used until twenty years later by Mercator.
The Theatrum, with most of its maps elegantly engraved by Frans Hogenberg, was an instant success and appeared in numerous editions in different languages including addenda issued from time to time incorporating the latest contemporary knowledge and discoveries. The final edition appeared in 1612. Unlike many of his contemporaries Ortelius noted his sources of information and in the first edition acknowledgement was made to eighty-seven different cartographers.
Apart from the modern maps in his major atlas, Ortelius himself compiled a series of historical maps known as the Parergon Theatri which appeared from 1579 onwards, sometimes as a separate publication and sometimes incorporated in the Theatrum.
1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1570-1612 Between these years the Theatrum was re-issued in 42 editions with 5 supplements with text in Latin, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and English. The English edition was published in 1606 by John Norton, the maps being printed in Antwerp and the text added in London. Three years later Ortelius died in 1598, his heirs transferred publication rights to Jan Baptiste Vrients who produced the posthumous editions until he died in 1612
1577-85 Spiegel der Werelt (8vo) Maps from the Theatrum, reduced in size, engraved by Philip Galle: text by Pieter Heyns. 6 editions with Dutch, French and Latin text. 1588-i 603 Epitome theatri orbis terrarum (12mo/8v0) 11 further editions of the smaller maps with an increasing number of maps with text also in Italian and English (1603). i6oi-i 2 7 further editions with improved engravings by Arsenius Brothers: text by Michel Coignet in Latin, French, German, Italian and English (1603). 1598-1724 Theatro del Mondo (4t0/12mo/24mo) 8 editions with Italian text; plates engraved in Italy.
1579-1606 Parergon Theatri The number of maps included in the Parergon increased from 4 in 1579 to 43 in 1606 with text in Latin, French, Italian, German and English (1606) 1624 Re-issued in Antwerp as a separate publication by Balthasar Moretus. This edition included a reproduction of the Peutinger table.
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Abraham ORTELIUS (1528 - 1598)
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Abraham Ortel, better known as Ortelius, was born in Antwerp and after studying Greek, Latin and mathematics set up his business there with his sister, as a book dealer and 'painter of maps'. Travelling widely, especially to the great book fairs, his business prospered and he established contacts with many sultured men in many lands. On one such visit to England, possibly seeking temporary refuge from religious persecution, he met William Camden whom he is said to have encouraged in the production of the Britannia.
A turning-point in his career was reached in 1564 with the publication of a World Map in eight sheets of which only one copy is known: other individual maps followed and then - at the suggestion of a friend - he gathered together a collection of maps from contacts among European cartographers and had them engraved in uniform size and issued in 1570 as the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Atlas of the Whole World). Although Lafreri and others in Italy had published collections of 'modern' maps in book form in earlier years, the Theatrum was the first uniformly sized, systematic collection of maps and hence can be called the first atlas, although that term itself was not used until twenty years later by Mercator.
The Theatrum, with most of its maps elegantly engraved by Frans Hogenberg, was an instant success and appeared in numerous editions in different languages including addenda issued from time to time incorporating the latest contemporary knowledge and discoveries. The final edition appeared in 1612. Unlike many of his contemporaries Ortelius noted his sources of information and in the first edition acknowledgement was made to eighty-seven different cartographers.
Apart from the modern maps in his major atlas, Ortelius himself compiled a series of historical maps known as the Parergon Theatri which appeared from 1579 onwards, sometimes as a separate publication and sometimes incorporated in the Theatrum.
1570 Theatrum Orbis Terrarum 1570-1612 Between these years the Theatrum was re-issued in 42 editions with 5 supplements with text in Latin, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian and English. The English edition was published in 1606 by John Norton, the maps being printed in Antwerp and the text added in London. Three years later Ortelius died in 1598, his heirs transferred publication rights to Jan Baptiste Vrients who produced the posthumous editions until he died in 1612
1577-85 Spiegel der Werelt (8vo) Maps from the Theatrum, reduced in size, engraved by Philip Galle: text by Pieter Heyns. 6 editions with Dutch, French and Latin text. 1588-i 603 Epitome theatri orbis terrarum (12mo/8v0) 11 further editions of the smaller maps with an increasing number of maps with text also in Italian and English (1603). i6oi-i 2 7 further editions with improved engravings by Arsenius Brothers: text by Michel Coignet in Latin, French, German, Italian and English (1603). 1598-1724 Theatro del Mondo (4t0/12mo/24mo) 8 editions with Italian text; plates engraved in Italy.
1579-1606 Parergon Theatri The number of maps included in the Parergon increased from 4 in 1579 to 43 in 1606 with text in Latin, French, Italian, German and English (1606) 1624 Re-issued in Antwerp as a separate publication by Balthasar Moretus. This edition included a reproduction of the Peutinger table.
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