Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 52
Title: BVRGVN:|DIĆ COMITATVS. (Top right cartouche:) "Hugo Cusi:|nus sive Cog:|natus pa:|triam su:|am sic | describebat". [A Representation of] the Duchy of Burgundy by Hugo Cousin or Cognatus who has thus depicted his fatherland]. (Lower left cartouche:) "1589. | Cum privilegijs | Imp. Regis, et | Brabantić, ad | decennium". [1589 With Privileges of the Imperial Majesty and Brabant for ten years].
Plate size: 363 x 491 mm
Scale: 1 : 600,000
Identification number: Ort 52 (Koeman/Meurer: 116, not in Karrow, van der Krogt AN: 4880:31B).
Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:
1580/1589G23 (see vdK Atlantes IIIB, 4880:31B. Yet there is no mention of a copy of Ort52 in vdK's description of the 1580/1589 German edition. I never found a copy of Ort52 deriving from the 1580/1589 German edition and doubt that such copies exist.),
1588S27 (150 copies printed?) (last line, left aligned: tiguos y modernos nombres de los lugares : pero en balde le hemos esperado hasta agora.),
1603L34 (300 copies printed?) (last line, left aligned: Comitatu ingens & peculiare volumen Ludouicus Gollusius,Gallica lingua.),
1606E31 (very few copies in this edition) (last line, left aligned: concerning this Countie in French, a great and peculiar volume.),
1608/1612I37 (very few copies printed) (last line, left aligned: cese vn grosso volume ha publicato di questo Contado.).
Approximate number of copies printed: 500.
States: 52.1 only.
Cartographic sources: not much is known about the author of this map, Hugo Cousin, who is mentioned in the Catalogus Auctorum from 1584 onwards, and who probably supplied a manuscript map of Burgundy. Since he worked for Philip II, there may be political reasons behind the inclusion of this map, which is inferior to that of Lannoy, viz. plate Ort 51. (Meurer p. 131).
Remarks: Plate Ort 51 continued to be used next to this plate Ort 52. Plate Ort 53 shows both the Comitatus and Ducatus in two half sheet maps. There is some form of complementary distribution between prints of this plate and of plate Ort 51. The text of Ort 52 is very similar to that of Ort 51. The text in the English edition for Ort 52 is identical with that for Ort 51, which is the standard map for Burgundy.
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