Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 56

Title: GERMANIA. [Germany]
(Lower left corner:) "Cum priuilegio." [With privilege]. (Lower right corner:) "Miliaria | Germanica, | magna, medi:|ocria & Parua hęc scala continet". [This scale contains large, average and small German miles].

Plate size: 367 x 507 mm
Scale: 1 : 3,000,000
Identification number: Ort 56 (Koeman/Meurer: 13, Karrow: 1/21, van der Krogt AN: 2000:31A)

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1570L(A)13 (100 copies printed) (last line, in italic script like the entire text, centred like one line above it: "Irenicus lib.1.Cap.2.Exegeseos Germanię." ; title not in italic script),
1570L(B)13 (100 copies printed) (last line, in italic script like the entire text and the title, centred like one line above it: "Irenicus lib.1.Cap.2.Exegeseos Germanię."),
1570L(C)13 (125 copies printed) (last line, in non-italic script like the entire text and the title, centred like one line above it: Franciscus Irenicus lib.1.Cap.2.Exegeseos Germanię.),
1571L13 (275 copies printed) (entirely non-cursive; last line, centred like one line above it: Franciscus Irenicus lib.j.Cap.2.Exegeseos Germanię.),
1571/1573D13 (350 copies printed) (last line, in Gothic script, centred like three lines above it: naesten minst schaeden toe-voecht/te syne.),
1572/1574F13 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 2 lines above it: le moindre , & qui apporte le moins de dommage ą son prochain.),
1572G13Koler (pasted over p.13 of a 1570L edition; few copies printed)(last line, left aligned, in Gothic script except for Latin names: ben/und die wir nit gesehen haben/erzelet Franciscus Irenicus im 11. Cap. des 1. Buchs/Exegeseos Germanię.),
1572/1573G13 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 2 lines above it: sten schaden zu gefugt, das geringst zu sein.),
1573L(AB)17 (75 copies printed) (version A: last line, centred: vidimus, enumerat Fran.Irenicus lib.j.cap.2. Exegeseos Germanię., version B, last line, centred like two lines above it: Fran.Irenicus lib.j.cap.2. Exegeseos Germanię.),
1574L17 (175 copies printed) (large page number, 11 mm; 9th line from the bottom ends: Romanorum sta- ; last line, centred like 7 lines above it: Germanię.),
1575L17 (100 copies printed) (small page number, 7 mm; 9th line from the bottom ends: Romanorumsta- ; last line, centred like 7 lines above it: Germanię.),
1579L(A)24 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it: lib.j.cap.2.Exegeseos Germanię. [no space after cap.]),
1579L(B)24 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it: lib.j.cap. 2.Exegeseos Germanię. [space after cap.]),
1580/1589G24 (350 copies printed) (last line, centred like 7 lines above it, in Gothic script: gesehen haben.),
1581F24 (400 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: est bien le moindre,& qui apporte le moins de dommage ą son prochain.),
1584L29 (750 copies printed) (last line, centred like four lines above it: lib.j.cap.2.Exegesos Germanię.),
1587F29 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: le moindre,& qui apporte le moins de dommage ą son prochain.),
1588S29 (300 copies printed) (last line, centred like 5 lines above it: nuestra noticia.),
1592L31 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Hęc,& plura,de hac regione atque gente,ibidem,cui lubet,legere potest.),
1595L33 (500 copies printed) (26th line from the bottom ends: siluis ; last line, left aligned: Hęc, plura,de hac regione atque gente,ibidem,cui lubet,legere potest.),
1598F36 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: apporte le moins de dommage ą son prochain.),
1598/1610/1613D25 (100 copies printed) (last line, centred like 4 lines above it, in Gothic script: sten minst schaden toe-voecht/ te zyne.),
1601L33 (200 copies printed) (26th line from the bottom ends: hor- ; last line, left aligned: Hęc , & plura , de hac regione atque gente , ibidem , cui libet , legere potest.),
1602S36 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: cosa ninguna. Quien mas quisiere saber de esta Region, y de la gente, puede lo leer en otra parte.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 6650.

States: 56.1 as described.
56.2: Between 1580 and 1581, the place name "Bergcastel" on the Mosel is wrongly changed to "Bergtastel".

Cartographic sources: Christiaan Sgrothen (abt. 1520-1608) made a map of Germany, a compilation of many published and unpublished sources (possibly including Stella's 1560 map of Germany), which appeared in Antwerp in 9 sheets in 1565. (Meurer p. 238, Karrow 70/8 p. 483). In the "Catalogus Auctorum" the following other authors of Germania maps are mentioned: Carolus Heydanus (whose Germany map has never been found), Mercator 1590, Sebastian Münster, and Tilemannus Stella 1567.

References: P.H. Meurer: "Abraham Ortelius' Concept and Map of 'Germania'", p. 263-270 in M. van den Broecke, P. van der Krogt and P.H. Meurer (eds.) "Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas", HES Publishers, 1998.

Remarks: From 1602G onwards replaced by the Deutschland map of Vrients, see plate Ort 57.
Note the ship, which also occurs on the Angliae, Scotiae at Hiberniae map (Ort16) and on the Flandria map (Ort75).

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