Low Countries – Abraham Ortelius, 1594

“Descriptio Germaniae Inferioris” – copper engraving by Frans Hogenberg, first published by Abraham Ortelius in 1570, in this case with Latin text on the verso from the 1594 edition, as part of the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. With beautiful original hand colouring. Size: 38.2 × 50.7 cm.

The reverse of the map describes the region as follows:

“This map does not show the whole of Lower Germany, but only that part which Philip, son of Emperor Charles V, holds by hereditary right. It comprises seventeen provinces: the duchies of Brabant, Limburg, Luxembourg, and Guelders; the counties of Flanders, Artois, Hainaut, Holland, Zeeland, Namur, and Zutphen; the margraviate of Antwerp; and the regions of Friesland, Mechelen, Utrecht, Overijssel, and Groningen. These territories, along with some others, are prosperous and densely populated—according to Ludovico Guicciardini, there are 208 cities fortified with walls, ramparts or moats, and more than 6,300 villages with churches and towers, not to mention numerous manors, castles, and fortresses.

The region begins in the west at the coast of the Ocean and stretches as far as the River Ems. It borders the County of East Frisia, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, the Duchy of Cleves, the Electorates of Cologne and Trier, and finally the Kingdom of France, which borders the Low Countries at the lower course of the River Aa. Although the climate is not always mild due to mist and damp, public health is nonetheless good: the area is known for its long-lived inhabitants, particularly in the Brabantine Kempen. The region is rich in rivers and interspersed with forests, which, though not always large, add great variety and beauty to the landscape.

There are hardly any mountains, except around Luxembourg, Namur, and in Hainaut. The land is fertile, producing abundant grain, vegetables, and medicinal herbs. Some areas, such as the heaths in the Kempen of Brabant, may seem barren but offer excellent pasture: the meat of livestock grazing here is famed for its exceptional flavour. Pliny the Elder seems to have known the area well when he wrote, “What is richer than the fodder of Germania?” and added, “Though the soil is sandy, it is very suitable for herds.” Harmful animals to humans are rarely found here.

Foreigners conveniently refer to all these provinces as “Flanders” and to the inhabitants as “Flemings”, which is incorrect: Flanders is merely one of these regions. It is as if someone were to refer to all of Spain by speaking only of Castile or Andalusia; or to all of Italy by mentioning Tuscany or Calabria; or to France while naming only Normandy. The error is similar.

Both French and German are spoken throughout this region, often interchangeably. Foreigners frequently visit for trade. As a result, towns, villages, and rivers often have different names depending on the language, which can lead to confusion. Since the author (Ortelius) was evidently not entirely familiar with the region, we may forgive him his errors.”

In the time of Abraham Ortelius (1527–1598), atlases as we know them today did not yet exist. There were loose nautical charts for seafarers and composite atlases made to order. These usually consisted of maps of varying sizes and inconsistent scales.

Ortelius was likely encouraged by the cartographer Gerard Mercator to collect and publish geographic knowledge and maps of the entire world from various sources for a wider audience. This led to the idea of a modern atlas: a book of maps, all engraved anew on copper plates at a uniform size and scale, specifically prepared for publication. Multiple identical copies were printed and sold by the publisher—something entirely new at the time.

Producing the atlas was a major undertaking. For the first edition, Ortelius selected the best available material. He redrew all 53 maps to a standard format and added descriptions of countries and places. Unusually for the sixteenth century, he also included references to his sources. While many mapmakers copied from their predecessors, few credited them.

Once the maps were drawn, Ortelius had them engraved onto copper plates by Frans Hogenberg and his assistants Ambrosius and Ferdinand Aertsen. Gillis Coppens van Diest printed the sheets. The atlas was titled Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, or “Theatre of the World.” The first edition was published in Latin in 1570.

In 1571, the first Dutch-language edition appeared. Interestingly, the text was not directly translated from the Latin but written anew for a general, non-scholarly audience. In it, Ortelius writes, for example, that The Hague is the finest village in Europe and that its inhabitants deliberately chose not to build city walls, preferring to remain the finest village rather than become just another town.

Ortelius’ atlas was an immediate success. Although such an atlas was a significant investment—especially when the maps were hand-coloured—many wealthy citizens were eager to expand their knowledge of the world. The first edition quickly sold out. Ortelius continued producing new editions with more maps, and translations appeared in German, French, Spanish, and later English and Italian. These later editions were printed from 1579 onward by the renowned Antwerp printer Christophe Plantin.

Price: Euro 1.250,-