ART of DUTCH ATLAS of the 16th-17th CENTURIES AND ABRAHAM ORTELIUS

Among the unique cultural heritage preserved in the National Library of Russia, the maps and atlases occupies a special place. The most valuable portion of them includes Dutch engraved atlases of the 16th-17th centuries. This collection is the largest in the country, it is also regarded as one of the world's important by its size (over 400 items) and a wide scope of authors represented in it.

The extensive collection embraces works by members of various Dutch cartographic schools.

The most famous Antwerp School map-maker was Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598). He was the first of his contemporaries to gather extensive cartographic material and published the book of maps of uniform style Тheatrum orbis terrarum – «Theatre of the World» in 1570. Theatrum Orbis Terrarum is considered the first true morden atlas. The Ortelius atlas was a huge success and was reprinted many times in different languages from 1571 to 1612. The holdings of our Library contains about 30 editions of this atlas, including the first edition of the atlas, its historical supplement Parergon and a number of smaller format publications of Тheatrum.

Another prominent cartographer of the 16th century Gerard de Jode (1508–1591) also lived and worked in Antwerp where he published his outstanding atlas in 1578. In 1593, his son Cornelis de Jode (1568-1600) issued the second edition of this atlas. It should be noted that there is only one extant copy of this atlas in Russia, which is stored at our Library.

The Library also holds the country's largest collection of the works of Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594). Mercator was the greatest reformer in mapmaking who invented a new map projection that was widely used for navigation. He considered the founder of modern scientific cartography (view also the online exhibition «Atlant of World Cartography»).

The collection of cartography houses over 20 volumes of different variants of the renowned «Atlas of Cities of the World» by George Braun (1541-1622) and Franz Hogenberg (1535-1590) , as well as numerous works of the largest mapping company of the 17th century, established by Willem Blaeu (1571-1638).

The Library possesses copies of the first ever printed maritime atlas by Lucas Janszoon Waghenaer (died in 1598) Spiegel der seefart... (Amsterdam , 1589) - 'Mariner's mirror' and his second atlas Thresorie ou cabinet... (Amsterdam, 1606). The role that Waghenaer played in the development of nautical chart-making is no less important than the contribution of Ortelius to the creation of the world atlas. Maritime atlases are also represented by works by Pieter Goos, Jan van Loon, Claes Vogt, Gerard van Kelen, etc.

These publications are remarkable milestones in the history of cartography, the extant editions are not only valuable sourses of contemporary geographic knowledge but also fine works of art. The Dutch cartographers of the 16th - 17th centuries made an unprecedented contribution to the art of map design.

The main role in this was played by a special artistic atmosphere of the Netherlands. In 16th - 17th centuries, the country experienced cultural revival that was combined with enthusiasm of different classes of people for geography and maps. The unique atmosphere made mapmaking a form of art. Cartography and visual arts were related activities:
- art and mapmaking interacted with each other: many cartographic elements, such as images, colour, and lettering, were shared with art;
- tools and methods used to produce maps and artistic works were very similar in printmaking and in mapmaking: copperplate engravings, which were hand coloured in later, required specific artistic skills;
- a significant number of both little-known and the most outstanding artists were involved in decorating maps;
- maps and art works were often performed by the same artists, engravers and publishers who worked for both areas;
- artists, engravers and mapmakers belonged to the same group of society that determined the development of culture in many areas.

The exhibited masterpieces of the outstanding cartographers of the Golden Age of Dutch Cartography are beautifully decorated. The vast majority of decorative details in atlases carry an important meaning, they supplement maps or express certain ideological views of the authors. The images are arranged in the following groups:

Marine Themes
Legends
Images of Rulers
Clothes
Allegories
Coats of Arms and Flags
Battles
Ancient Mythology
Bible Scenes
Vedute (detailed cityscapes)
Scenes from History
Portraits
Decorative Cartouches

Scenes from Everyday Life