Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 61

Title: GELRIAE, CLIVIAE, FINI:|TIMORVMQVE LOCORVM | VERISSIMA DESCRIPTIO | "Christiano Schrot Auctore". [A very true representation of Gelderland, Cleve and bordering locations by Christian Schrot]. (Lower left:) "Cum priuilegio". [With privilege].

Plate size: 372 x 503 mm
Scale: 1 : 400,000
Identification number: Ort 61 (Koeman/Meurer: 15, Karrow: 1/23, van der Krogt AN: 3700:31A)

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1570L(AC)15 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like two lines above it: Germania inferiore.),
1570L(B)15 (100 copies printed) (last line, centred like one line above it: dinum in sua Germania inferiore.)
1571L15 (275 copies printed) (last line, centred like one line above it: Ludouicum Guicciardinum in sua Germania inferiore.),
1571/1573D15 (350 copies printed) (last line, in Gothic script, centred like one line above it: tweghe mach de Leser kiesen welcke meyninge hy wil.),
1572/1574F15 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it, in cursive script like the entire text: "prendre telle opinion que bon luy semblera."),
1572G15Koler (pasted over p.15 of a 1570L edition; few copies printed)(last line, left aligned, in Gothic script except for two Latin names: cisco Irenico, Am besten aber und volkümlichsten findest du es beschriben und abgebildet/bey dem Ludouico Guicciardino in seinem Niderland.),
1572/1573G15 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it: mag der Leser ervvelen vvelche mainung er vvil.),
1573L(AB)19 (75 copies printed) (last two lines, centred like 2 lines above it; huius delinationem inuenies apud Guicciardinum | in sua Germania inferiore. in version A.; simam huius delinationem inuenies apud Guicciardinum | in sua Germania inferiore. in version B.),
1574L19 (175 copies printed) (large page number, 11 mm; title followed by round dot; 8th line from the top ends: Arnhemium; last line, centred like 3 lines above it: apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania inferiore.),
1575L19 (100 copies printed) (small page number, 7 mm; title followed by a diamond-shaped dot; 8th line ends: Arnhemi- ; last line, centred like 3 lines above it: apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania inferiore.),
1579L(A)27 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 2 lines above it: apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania inferiore. ; one but last line begins: suppeditabit),
1579L(B)27 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 2 lines above it: apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania inferiore. ; one but last line begins: ditabit),
1580/1589G27 or 28 (350 copies printed) (last line, centred like 5 lines above it, in Gothic script: schreibt.),
1581F27 (400 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script like the entire text: "vous,le Lecteur pourra prendre telle opinion que bon luy semblera".),
1584L32 (700 copies printed) (last line, centred like two lines above it: apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania inferiore.),
1587F32 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script: "bon luy semblera."),
1588S32 (300 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it: cumplidissima d'ella en Guicciardino, en su Germania inferior.),
1595L36 (500 copies printed) (2nd textline ends with italic: "Zuy-" ; last line, left aligned: nem inuenies apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania inferiore.),
1598F39 (525 copies printed) (last line, italic like the entire text, left aligned: "luy semblera".),
1598/1610/1613D (100 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it, in cursive script like the entire text: "vvege mach de leser kiesen vvelcke meynige hy vvil."),
1601L36 (200 copies printed) (2nd textline ends with italic: "Suyder-" ; last line, left aligned: nem inuenies apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania Inferiore.),
1602G39 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like 5 lines above it, in Gothic script like the entire text: landt schreibt.),
1602S39 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Germania inferior.),
1603blank (Vri1) has no text or page number,
1603L39 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: nem inuenies apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania Inferiore.),
1606E36 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: description hereof you shall finde in "Guicciardin".),
1608/1612I43 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ciardino nella sua Germania Inferiore.),
1609/1612L42 (275 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: nem inuenies apud Guicciardinum in sua Germania Inferiore.).
1609/1612/1641S41 or 43 (325 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Pero hallaras declaracion cumplidissima d'ella en Guicciardino,en su Germania inferior.),

Approximate number of copies printed: 7525.

States: above 61.1.
61.2: in 1580, the mile scale 1-5 at the top centre left which already had oblique hachuring from top left to lower right received additional hachuring from lower left to upper right, resulting in squares. "Die Veluwe" just west of "Beeckbergen" was erroneously changed to "Velnwe".
61.3: in 1584, the orientation OCCIDENS mid bottom received additional horizontal hachuring resulting in small squares.
61.4: in 1592 or before 1595, stippling was added behind the sea name ZUYDER ZEE. "Velnwe" (see state 2) was changed back to "Veluwe".
61.5: after 1612: "Theodorus Gallćus excud: Antuerpić" added at bottom, just right of centrefold.

Cartographic sources: Christiaan Sgrothen (abt. 1520-1608) mapped German and Dutch Geldria and Cock published his map of it in 1567 (Meurer p. 237-238, Karrow 70/2 p. 480-481).

References: J.J. Vredenberg-Alink (1975) "Kaarten van Gelderland en de Kwartieren". Zutphen, de Walburg Pers. H.A.M. van der Heijden "Ortelius and the Netherlands", p. 271-290 in: M. van den Broecke, P. van der Krogt and P. Meurer (eds.) "Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas", HES Publishers, 1998. H.A.M. van der Heijden (1999) "Een onbekende kaart van Gelder door Ortelius". Caert-Thresoor vol. 18(3) pp. 65-66.

Remarks: The frame used around this map derives from Sambucus' Emblemata nr. 162, Antwerp, 1564. In most 1592L and some 1612L editions, and perhaps some other editions between these dates as well, a different plate but a close copy of this one was used, viz. plate Ort 62, which has two war ships rather than one ordinary ship such as we see here, and no painters tools around the cartouche. "BRABANTIĆ PARS" is in cursive capitals on the new plate, rather than in the normal capitals we see here.
An early plate of Gelria, very similar to the present one, has recently been identified and claimed to have been made by Ortelius. It is described as such by Van der Heijden (1999) in "Caert-Thresoor" vol. 18(3) pp. 65-68 (see above). Meanwhile, another copy of this map has been found in the University Library of Groningen, included in a 1602G edition of the Theatrum. According to van der Krogt and Meurer [personal communications], with whom I fully agree, this map does not seem to be have been made by Ortelius, but by Frans Hogenberg.
Note that the scholarly text is rather complex because word order and various dates change between editions.

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Bibliographical sources

Topographical names