Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 67

Title: LIMBVRGENSIS | DVCATVS | TABVLA NOVA, | EXCVSA SVMPTIBVS | IOAN. BAPTISTÆ VRINTS, | ÆMVLI STVDII GEOGRA:|PHIÆ D. AB. ORTELII:P.M. | COSMOGRAPHI REGII &c. [A Map of the Duchy of Limburg in a new form, made at the expense of Ioannes Baptista Vrints, successor, from the geographical study by Abraham Ortelius, prime cosmographer of the king &c].(Cartouche upper left:) "ILLVSTRISSIMO DOCTISSIMOQVE DOMINO | D.GASTONI SPINOLÆ COMITI BRVACENSI, &c. | ORDINIS EQVESTRIS S. IACOBI, PRIMO A STA:|BVLIS, ATQVE A CVBICVLIS SERENISSIMI | DVCIS BRABANTIÆ, EIVSDEMQVE IN BELLICIS | CONSILIIS ASSESSORI ORDINARIO, DVCATVS | LIMBVRGENSIS, TOTIVSQVE REGIONIS VLTRA-|MOSANÆ GVBERNATORI VIGILANTISSIMO, | OMNISQVE ERVDITIONIS ASYLO VNICO HANC | TABVLAM GEOGRAPHICAM NOVISSIMIS DIMEN:|SIONIBVS A SE AS EXACTISSIMAM REDACTAM | PERFECTIONEM ÆGIDIVS MARTINI ANTVER:|PIENSIS IN VTROQVE IVRE LICENTIATVS | ET MATHEMATICVS FECIT ET DEDICAVIT. | ANNO MDCIII. [Dedicated to the most illustrious and learned lord Gastonus Spinola, Count of Bruay &c., of the equestrian order of St. Iacobus, chief of the stables and chambers of the most serene duke of Brabant, and adviser in matters of war, and ordinary assessor, the duchy of Limburg and of the whole region beyond the river Maas, for this most vigilant governor and unique guardian of wisdom has been made on this geographical map in new dimensions, exactly and perfectly edited by Ægidius Martinus from Antwerp, licensed mathematician as well as lawyer in the year 1603].

Plate size: 401 x 493 mm.
Scale: 1 : 180,000
Identification number: Ort 67 (Koeman/Meurer: 151, not in Karrow, van der Krogt AN: 3170:31).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1606Exlv (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ticulars.),
1608/1612I46 (300 copies printed) (last line, full width: ua descrittione non annotato dinanzi, lasciando indietro quello che d'altri è stato osservato, per non priuarli delle fatiche loro.),
1609/1612L45 (300 copies printed) (last line, full width: sis ijs quæ ab alijs descripta fuerunt,ne in alienam messem falcem misisse videamur. Vale Lector & his cum Auctore fruere.),
1609/1612/1641S44 (325 coopies printed) (last line, left aligned: Brabante.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 1225.

States: 67.1 only.

Cartographic sources: very little is known about the life and works of the Antwerp expert in law and mathematics Ægidius Martini, whose map of Limburg was not only model for the present plate, but also for many more Limburg maps to come (Meurer p. 190-191). The role of Gaston Spinola, Count of Bruyai, mentioned in the 1609/1612L text, in making this map is unclear.

References: 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.

Remarks: the text of the 1608/1612 Italian, 1609/1612/1641 Spanish and 1609/1612 Latin editions are entirely different from that of the 1606 English one, which presumably has been written by William Bedwell.

Text

Bibliographical sources

Topographical names