DE JODE, GERARD: STYRIA AND KRAIN

Inventory number 448

Original title: Stiraemarchiae ducatus seu tauris-corum Noricorum sedis acuratus ac elegans typus Chorographicus, Carinthiae ducatus vel Iuliarum alpium tractus vera ac genuina delineatio geographica

Publishing year: 1578

Place of publishing and publisher: Antwerpen

Format: 34 x 51 cm

Technique: Coloured copper engraving

The map shows the territory of Styria and Carniola with neighboring countries in two circles in a richly decorated renaissance cartouche, which is also a frame of the maps. There is a special cartouche with a title above each circle. The towns and villages are marked by small stylized views. The map of Styria is dominated by the rivers Drava and Mura up to their mouth (Confluentes Muerae et Draus). From the countries on the side of the Drava River, the author included in the map of the Duchy of Styria the gorgeous Seeberg in the west (Kappl. mons), through Celje (Cijlij) on the Savinja River (Saana flu) to Varaždin (Warsin) in the east. Nedelijtz and Strijdo are marked in Međimurje, and the crossing over the bridge over the Drava is marked at Maribor (Marchpurg). Bridges on the Mura are at Graz (Gracz) and Bad Radkersburg (Rackelspurg). The space between Raba and Mura River north of Graz was marked as NORICI MEDITERRANEI. Hydrographic and orographic elements are recorded very schematically. The map of the Duchy of Carinola is dominated by the central view of the river Drava with the tributaries, from St. Peter in Holz (St. Peter im Holcz) in the west to Villach with the bridges (Villach) and Klagenfurt (S. Ruprecht) to Dravograd (Darburg) in the east. In the south, the map includes the area to the Trieste Bay and Aquileia (Agla Aquilea). Such chorographic maps of Austrian provinces, composed of one or more round plates without scales and limited cartographic content, were relatively common. The round shape was particularly popular with Austrian humanists. Because of the simplification and stylization of content, river flows, sea coast-lines, schematized vegetation or some other forms are hardly recognizable, especially for the marginal lands which, due to the scale, suffer the greatest distortion. Also, since the author was not interested in them, they differ most from nowadays recognizable presentations. Examples are Ducatus Carniolae by Lazuis or Ducatus Stiriae Marchiae from 1561 and Fränkische Ostmark from Austrae Chorographia by Lazius. This copy was probably published in De Jode's work Speculum Orbis Terrarum, published in Antwerp in 1578.

DE JODE, GERARD

GERARD DE JODE (1509-1591), a famous Dutch graphic artist, printer, publisher and cartographer. While he was preparing his world atlas, from 1555 de Jode was also issuing single maps: in 1560 he published Jacob Gastaldi's Great World Map, in 1563 the Map of Portugal, in 1564 Ortelius' World Map, and in 1569 a series of maps of German regions. Then Ortelius and de Jode had become tough business rivals. But, although he was 18 years older, de Jode was never that businesslike publisher as Ortelius. De Jode published in 1578 his atlas "Speculum Orbis Terrarum", only eight years after the "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum", Ortelius having obtained a monopoly for that period. The atlas was issued in 2 volumes. The first one contained 27 maps of various states and regions, while the 38 maps of the second volume entitled "Geographicum Germaniae Imperium Repraesentants" represents the German territories. Due to the predominance of Ortelius' issues, during de Jode's life, only two issues of his atlas were published (the second one in 1579). On his death, his son, CORNELIS DE JODE (1568-1600) completed his father's work and was published it in 1593. The new atlas comprising 83 maps was entitled "Speculum Orbis Terrae" . Now, de Jode's atlas is extremely rare (only 12 examples are known).