Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 234

Title: VTOPIÆ/TYPVS, EX/Narratione Raphaelis Hythlodæi,/Descriptione D. Thomas Mori,/Delineatione Abrahami Ortelij/ME:/RIDI:/ES. [= a map of Utopia, after the narration of Raphael Hythlodæus, the writings of Thomas More as well as the drawing of Abraham Ortelius]. (cartouche lower left:) NOBILISS. VIRO: IO:MAT:/THÆO WACKHERIO A WACK:/ENFELS SAC.CÆS.M.tis CONSI;/LIARIO ET EPI WRATISLAV./CANCELLARIO/Amico optatissimo/A. Ortelius dedicabat, L.M. [= Abraham Ortelius has dedicated this map willingly and not without merit to the most honourable man Johannes Matthæus Wacker von Wackenfels, adviser to his Holy Imperial Majesty, Chancellor of the Bishop of Breslau, his dearest Friend] (cartouche bottom right:) AD SPECTATOREM./En tibi delicias mundi: regne ecce beata!/Queis melius, queis nil pulchrius orbis habet./Hæc illa Utopia est; arx pacis; nidis Amoris,/Justitiæ, ac summi portus et ora bonj./Lauda alsias terras: istanc cole qui sapis. Isto/Vel nulla fixa est Vita beata loco./I.M.W. à W.f./Lustravit Raphael: Descripsit Morus: Abrahamus/Edidit Ortelius. Tu fruere atque vale. [= To the Spectator. Have a look at the Joys of the World. Behold the Happy Kingdom. The World has no Other, which is Better or more Beautiful! This is that Utopia, Bulwark of Peace, Centre of Love and Justice, Best Harbour and Good Shore, Praised by Other Lands, Honoured by You who Knows Why, This, more than any Other Place, offers a Happy Life. For Johannes Matthæus Wacker von Wackerfels; as told by Raphael; as described by More; Published by Abraham Ortelius. Enjoy it and be well.]

Plate size: 380 x 475 mm
Scale: not applicable
Identification number: Ort 234 (not in Koeman or Meurer, Karrow: 1/210, van der Krogt AN: 9999:31).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number: so far no editions of the Theatrum have been found which contain this map, although its size allows easy insertion.

States: 234.1 only. I am fortunate in having acquired the only copy of this map that has been found so far. Werner (1998) reports another copy in the British Library, but this information is incorrect.

Approximate number of copies printed: the only copy known (without text on verso) is in my collection. Colius reports in 1596 (Hessels 294) that Norton delivered 12 copies of this map to him.

Cartographic sources: as Wacker a Wackenfels puts it in his letter to Jacobus Monau, dated August 1, 1595 "each nation may recognise something of its own in this Utopia".

References: C. Kruythooft (1981) The Map Collector 16:10-14; P.H. Meurer "Ortelius as the Father of Historical Cartography", p. 133-159 in: M. van den Broecke, P. van der Krogt and P.H. Meurer (eds) "Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas", HES Publishers, 1998; Johannes Stoffers (2001) Die Republik Utopia. Erläuterung und Gedanken zu einer alten Karte. Essay. Special Publication from Auswärtiger Dienst Vierteljahresschrift der Vereinigung Deutscher Auslandsbeamter e.V. 62. Jahrgang, Heft I/II, 2001. Werdersche Markt 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
M. van den Broecke (2004) De Utopia Kaart van Ortelius Caert-Thresoor 23(4):89-94.

Remarks: Fairly frequent references to this map are found in Hessels (letters 274, 286, and 294), and in Denucé. It seems that Ortelius made this map to please his friends, and was not too enthusiastic or serious about it himself.

There is no text on verso of the only copy extant.

Raphael Hythlodæus is a fictional figure, invented by Thomas More in his book as the main character, to carry on a dialogue. His first name means "God heals". The archangel Raphael is the patron of Travellers and Physicians. His last name may mean "Enemy of vain talk", or, alternatively, "Narrator of Fantastic Tales, Fantasizer". Thus, his tales cannot be true, neither in his tales nor in real life. The combination of these two names may point to a mixture of Earnestness and Jest.

Thomas More (1477/78-1535)
[info to be inserted]

Johannes Matthæus Wacker (1550-1619) was born in Konstanz, grew up as a Reformed Protestant, studied Law in Strassburg and Genova. He became a prominent civil servant for the Bishop and German Emperor in Breslau, was converted to Catholicism in 1592 and was appointed to Nobility in 1594 as Lord of Wackenfels. He moved to Prague in 1599 and belonged to the spiritual elite, as had also been the case in Breslau. He was in contact with well known European intellectuals as Giordano Bruno, and Johannes Kepler. He died in Vienna. The gifted and multilingual Wacker wrote a considerable amount of Latin verse testifying of a rich mind. In a letter to Monau, Wacker relates that Ortelius requested from him, as the initiator of the Utopia map, a list of cities in Utopia. As a result, he sent to Monau the names of 54 places, among which 5 of Utopian derivation. Next to those, he drew up place names in Old Greek, Latin, German, Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch, Sarmatian, and Saracenian, through which every nation would recognise something about themselves in this land. He is supposed to have called three places after Monau, Ortelius and himself. One was the name of "Amaurotus Metropolis", already mentioned in Hythlodæus' dialogues. The river names were produced in a similar fashion. Ortelius did not adopt the three names of his friends for Utopian cities, but inserted these in river names, viz. "Felsius, Ortileus" and "Mavonius". He increased the number of cities by one to 55, giving it the name "Favolia" after the name of the Antwerp scientist Johannes Baptista Favolius.

Bibliographical sources, as mentioned in the various cartouches of this map:

Hythlodæus, Raphael is a fictitious character in More's Utopia
More, Thomas (1478-1535) was the writer of the book Utopia
Ortelius is mentioned as the maker of this map
Wacker à Wackerfels is the person who initiated the making of this map and the person to whom it is dedicated.

No map text available

No bibliographical sources available

Topographical names