Cartographica Neerlandica Background for Ortelius Map No. 79

HOLLANDIAE ANTI:|QVORVM CATTHORVM | SEDIS NOVA DESCRIP:|TIO, AVCTORE IACO:|BO A DAVENTRIA. [A new representation of Holland, once the seat of the Caths, by Jacob van Deventer].

Plate size: 354 x 482 mm.
Scale: 1 : 400,000.
Identification number: Ort 79 (Koeman/Meurer: 19, Karrow: 1/27, van der Krogt AN: 3400:31, Blonk 11.).

Occurrence in Theatrum editions and page number:

1570L(AC)19 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like two lines above it: Hortensij Montfortij. ; second line from bottom: continetur,consule Historiam Lamberti),
1570L(B)19 (100 copies printed) (last line, centred like two lines above it: Hortensij Montfortij. ; second line from bottom: quæ hac Tabula etiam continetur , consule Historiam Lamberti),
1571L19 (275 copies printed) (last line, centred like two lines above it: Lamberti Hortensij Montfortij.),
1571/1573D19 (350 copies printed) (last line, in cursive script like the entire text, centred like one line above it: "ende heeft de Bischop alleen de gheestelycke Jurisdictie daer in gehouden".),
1572G10 (Koler)(pasted over p.19 of a 1570L edition; few copies printed)(last line, left aligned, in Gothic script except for one name: fen ist/Lise Lamberti Hortensij Montfortij historiam.),
1572/1573G19 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 3 lines above it: diction vnd gerechtigkeit darin behalten.),
1572/1574F19 (225 copies printed) (last line, centred like 2 lines above it: retenu que la Iurisdiction Spirituelle en icelle.),
1573L23 (75 copies printed) (Version A and B have identical text and cannot be distinguished; 33rd line from the bottom ends: vulgo ; last line, in cursive script like the entire text, centred like 2 lines above it: "dictione est,& hac Tabula etiam continetur, consule historiam Lamberti Hortensii Montfortij."),
1574L23 (175 copies printed) (entire text in cursive script; large page number, 11 mm; 33rd line from the bottom ends: "vulgò" ; last line, centred like the 2 lines above it: "dictione est,& hac Tabula etiam continetur, consule historiam Lamberte Hortensis Montfortij."),
1575L23 (100 copies printed) (entire text in non-cursive script; small page number, 7 mm; last line, centred like the 2 lines above it: dictione est,& hac Tabula etiam continetur, consule historiam Lamberti Hortensis Montfortij.),
1579L(A)34 (250 copies printed) (last line, centred like two lines above it: etiam continetur, consule historiam Lamberti Hortensi Monfortij.),
1579L(B)34 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ctione est,& hac tabula etiam continetur,consule historiam Lamberti Hortensij Monfortij.),
1580/1589G34 (350 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, not in Gothic in contrast to most of this text: Montfortij.),
1581F34 (400 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: icelle.),
1584L40 (750 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Lamberti Hortensij Monfortij.),
1587F40 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: tuelle en icelle.),
1588S40 (300 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: WESPA ; last line second text page, centred like 6 lines above it: Hortensio Montforcio.),
1592L42 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in cursive script like most of the text: "Hortensij Monfortij".),
1595L44 (500 copies printed) (4th line from the bottom ends: ibi- ; last line, left aligned: riam Lamberti Hortensij Montfortij.),
1598/1610/1613D36 (100 copies printed) (last line, first text page, right aligned, in Gothic script like the entire text: of twaelf ; last line second text page, centred like 7 lines above it: comen.),
1598F47 (525 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Spirituelle en icelle.),
1601L44 (200 copies printed) (4th line from the bottom ends: marmorea- ; last line, left aligned: riam Lamberti Hortensij Monfortij.),
1602G47 (250 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, in Gothic script like the entire text: ingleich auch in diser Tafel vorgestellt wirt/besuche die histori Lamberti Hortensij Montfortij.),
1602S47 (250 copies printed) (last line first text page, right aligned: PVRME-; last line second text page, left aligned: Holanda, y se contiene tambien en esta tabla, puedes veer a Lamberto Hortensio Montforcio.),
1603blank (Vri1) the copy consulted from UBA does not have this map but the CDH one, with no text or page number,
1603L47 ((300 copies printed) last line, left aligned: Lamberti Hortensij Monfortij.),
1606E47 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned, cursive unlike the rest of the text: "tensius Monfortius".),
1608/1612I52 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: ria di Lamberto Hortensio da Monforte.),
1609/1612L51 (300 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: Lamberti Hortensij Monfortij.),
1609/1612/1641S50 (325 copies printed) (last line, left aligned: landa, y se contiene tambien en esta tabla,puedes veer a Lamberto Hortensio Montforcio.).

Approximate number of copies printed: 8175.

States: 79.1 above.
79.2: from 1592L onwards, has stippled sea rather than waves. However, the waves remain faintly visible in this stippled second state (see two figs. p.4 The Map Collector 36, 1986). Ships have been reworked after this polishing procedure.
79.3: from 1598F onwards, has "TYS/TER/BANT" right of Tiel.
79.4: in 1641S, lake Beemster has been reclaimed, and some schematic road indications appear.

Cartographic sources: Jacob van Deventer abt. 1500-1575 (see Meurer p. 138, Karrow 25/4 p. 142-158, Donkersloot-Vrij p. 128)

References: Blonk describes this map in detail in "The Map of Holland in the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum": p. 291-302. Also: H.A.M. van der Heijden "Ortelius and the Netherlands", p. 271-290; both in: M. van den Broecke, P. van der Krogt and P. Meurer (eds.) "Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas", HES Publishers, 1998. Blonk also discusses it in Blonk (2000), Hollandiæ Comitatus, p. 106-113. The accuracy of Jacob van Deventer's Holland map which was the model for this Ortelius map is discussed in B. Jenny and E. Heere: Visualisering van de planimetrische nauwkeurigheid van oude kaarten met MapAnalyst [Visualization of planimetric accuracy in ancient maps with MapAnalyst], "Caert-Thresoor" (27.1) 2008 p.5-10. Results show that average position error is 935 meter, (1 standard deviation is 661 meter), resulting in an average error of locations on the map of 0.52 cms, which is an excellent value for a 16th century map.

Remarks: Note the numerous lakes which were reclaimed in the 17th century. The 1598/1610/1613 Dutch text is the only Dutch text which here sides with the scholarly, rather than the vernacular text version.

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