Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 127

Title: AGRI | CREMO:|NENSIS | TYPVS. [A map of the fields of Cremona]. (Cartouche middle bottom:) Antonius Campus pictor Cre:|monensis descripsit, 1579. [Drawn by Antonio Campi, designer from Cremona.] (Cartouche bottom right:) "Cum Priuilegio". [With privilege.] Inset: "CREMĈ DITIO|NIS DESCRIP:|TIO". [A representation of the area of Crema.] (Right bottom of inset:) "Lectori | Ne tabula hoc loco omnino vacua exta:|ret, hoc Cremĉ territorium à quodam | patriĉ studioso descriptum hic studio:|sis exhibere placuit". [Dear reader, to avoid that this part of the map remained empty, please see here the territory of Crema as depicted by a studious native for those who are studious].

Plate size: 349 x 499 mm. Inset: 127 x 177 mm.
Scale: 1 : 250,000
Identification number: Ort 127 (Koeman/Meurer: 90, Karrow: 1/127, vdKrogtAN: 7030:31).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1579/1580L2Add43a (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like 2 lines above it: triĉ memoriam, Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1579L(A)62 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like two lines above it: triĉ memoriam. Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1579L(B)62 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: moriam.Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1580/1589G62 (350 copies printed) (last line, centred like 6 lines above it, in Gothic script like the entire text: heimstellen.),
1581F62 (400 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: leur ville & patrie ainsi bruslée, I'en laisse le iugement aux lecteurs.),
1584L68 (750 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: men illi inditum, in crematĉ patriĉ memoriam.Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1587F68 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: & patrie ainsi bruslée. I'en laisse le iugement aux lecteurs.),
1588S68 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: creer lo que quisiere.),
1592L72 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Cremĉq. nomen illi inditum,in crematĉ patriĉ memoriam. Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1595L75 (500 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: nomen illi inditum,in crematĉ patriĉ memoriam. Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1598F77 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: & patrie ainsi bruslée.I'en laisse le iugement aux lecteurs.),
1601L75 (200 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: illi inditum,in crematĉ patriĉ memoriam. Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1602G78 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like 6 lines above it, in Gothic script like the entire text: heimstellen.),
1602S78 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: creer lo que quisiere.),
1603L78 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: illi inditum, in crematĉ patriĉ memoriam. Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1606E75 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: and spoiled. But this I leaue to the iudgement of the discreet Reader.),
1608/1612I86 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Crema,per la ricordatione della patria cremata, cioè abbrugiata. Lascio il giuditio à lettori.),
1609/1612L86 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: patriĉ memoriam. Iudicium lectoribus relinquo.),
1609/1612/1641S86 (325 copies printed) (last line, full width, in italic script like the entire Crema section: "ma,en memoria de la patria cremata,o quemada.Al aluedrio d'el lector dexo creer lo que quisere".).

Approximate number of copies printed: 6575.

States: 127.1 as described.
127.2: between 1584 and 1587 a number of ornamental changes were introduced: the bottom ornament in the low central Campi cartouche had square horizontal/vertical hachuring. This is now changed to horizontal/oblique upper left to lower right hachuring; the direction of the hachuring in the left and right ornament on the mile scale is changed: the left one from oblique upper left to lower right hachuring is now vertical and the right one has now very oblique upper left to lower right hachuring, where it used to have very mild oblique upper left to lower right hachuring. The two bottom ornaments below the Crema frame were empty except from some stippling in the first state, whereas in the second state the left part of each ornament has horizontal hachuring; the place name "Solarolo di | Pagnini" near the centrefold just north of the river Po has now been changed into "Solarolo di | Paguini".

Cartographic sources: Antonio Campi (1536-1591 or later) received a privilege for his map of the surroundings of Cremona in 1571. Ortelius' map is based on a manuscript version of this map, which was published in 1583. The inset of Crema goes back to an unidentified source, published by Forlani in 1570 (Meurer p. 126, 89-90).

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