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Philipp Clüver and the 'incomparable' Italia Antiqua
- By The Map Collector
- Published 1 June 1980
- Maps
- Unrated
The Map Collector
The Map Collector, initiated by Peter Scott and Valerie G. Newby, was a journal on historical cartography published every quarter. The first issue appeared in 1997 and continued for nearly 20 years. After 74 issues the last copy appeared in Spring 1996. Mrs. Valerie G. Newby, is presently editor of the IMCoS Journal.
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by Stephen A. Bromberg
Last year, Stephen Bromberg's wife Carol, gave him a most unusual Silver Wedding anniversary present - a complete twovolume set of Clüver's Italia Antiqua. At the time he was in a graduate seminar held by Douglas Marshall at the Clements Library, University of Michigan, and at his suggestion and with his encouragement, undertook what started as a limited project of review and analysis and went on to become 'an obsession.' Here you can read the results of his research to date on the atlas which has taken him on from the University of Michigan to the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and the Library of Congress in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Stephen, who started collecting maps fifteen years ago, is an attorney being senior partner in a firm in Southfield, Michigan.
'It must be own'd, that the Endeavourss of such of the ancient Geographers now remaining, as Strabo, Ptolemy, Pomponius Mela, and the Nubian Geographer, &c were very considerable in those Times, tho' much short of the Modems, both as to Method and Perfection.
As Learning decay'd, that Study was in a manner bury'd till the last Century, when it was again reviv'd. Ortelius was one of the first who began to give it a new Life; after him, Mercator reduc'd it into a more connected System. Cluverius oblig'd the Publick, by bringing it into a better Method, as well as by his incomparable Books of Germania, I!alia and Sicilia Antiqua.'
This statement of John Senex in 1721, by placing 'Cluverius' with two such pre-eminent figures in the history of cartography as Ortelius and Mercator, reflects the high regard in which Philipp Cluver was held in the early eighteenth century. However, his reputation has faded in our times to the point that he is not very well known today, even among historians. What was his contribution? What was his 'better Method'? Why was his book on Italy deemed 'incomparable'?
Philipp Cliiver was born in Danzig in 1580, where his father was Director of the Mint. He was initially educated in Danzig and was given the very best early education. He was sent briefly to the Court of the King of Poland for training and in 160 I his father sent him to Leiden to study law, there being close cultural and economic ties between Danzig and Holland at that time.
In the seventeenth century, Leiden became a centre of the Dutch cultural and artistic renaissance, being the birthplace of such famous painters as Rembrandt, Jan Steen and Jan van Goyen.
Clüver thoroughly disliked his legal studies at the University of Leiden. However, it was there he came under the influence of Joseph Scaliger and with his counsel began to concentrate totally on historical and geographical studies. In conjunction with these studies he travelled to various cities of Brabant in order to see the area itself, rather than being content with knowledge derived only from study. During this trip he was robbed of all his belongings by marauding soldiers.
His father, displeased with Clüver for abandoning his legal studies, withdrew financial support. As a result, despite help secretly given by his mother, Clüver left the University and became a soldier. He served in Bohemia and Hungary for two years. At that time he became acquainted with Baroness von Lobkowitz and with her father Baron Georg Popel von Lobkowitz, who had been imprisoned by Rudolf n, the Emperor of Austria, pending trial for improper activities in attempting to become a provincial governor. Clüver completed an Apology or defense of Lobkowitz in Latin, and then had it printed in Leiden, but Lobkowitz was executed and when the pseudonym which Cluver had been using was discovered he was put into prison in Holland at the request of the Austrian Ambassador.
With the help of his friends from Leiden, Cluver was released from prison and with his mother's financial help travelled to England where he married a poor young English woman. This had the effect of increasing Clüver's already difficult financial position.
During the period from 1607 until 1610 he travelled extensively, visiting parts of Germany, Scandinavia, the British Isles, France and Italy. Then he basically remained in England for a number of years. He wrote studies concerning the historical geography of the Rhine while at Oxford and these studies entitled Commentarius de tribus Rheni alves et osteis (Commentary on the three branches of the Rhine and their outlets) were published in Leiden in 1611. The position taken by Clüver in this work contradicted the then prevailing doctrine as to the location of the Roman border in Holland. However, although Clüver's position created continuing opposition to him over the succeeding years, it was ultimately recognized to be correct.
Because of his financial problems Clüver was pleased to receive financial aid from the already widowed now Countess Lobkowitz which permitted him to settle in Leiden in 1615. There his Germania Antiqua, on which he had worked while in England, was published in 1616. This is a more substantial work, considered by some to be Clüver's best. A total of eleven maps are presented in Germania Antiqua, grouped in varying numbers at the beginning of the four divisions or books (rather than throughout the same). They are all fairly undetailed. All show Cliiver as 'auctore' and most show Nicholas Gielkerk as engraver, while all appear to be by that engraver. This work proved successful in the scholarly world and earned recognition for Clüver.
In the year 1616, after publication of Germania Antiqua, Clüver received from the University of Leiden the title 'Geographicus Academicus' ('Academic Geographer'), which came to him with an annual stipend of 500 florins and an official residence. Despite this, he and his family, which had followed him from England, continued in financial need.
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COPYRIGHT June 1980 The Map Collector, All rights reserved.
No portion of this article nor the accompanying illustrations can or may be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Last year, Stephen Bromberg's wife Carol, gave him a most unusual Silver Wedding anniversary present - a complete twovolume set of Clüver's Italia Antiqua. At the time he was in a graduate seminar held by Douglas Marshall at the Clements Library, University of Michigan, and at his suggestion and with his encouragement, undertook what started as a limited project of review and analysis and went on to become 'an obsession.' Here you can read the results of his research to date on the atlas which has taken him on from the University of Michigan to the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris and the Library of Congress in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Stephen, who started collecting maps fifteen years ago, is an attorney being senior partner in a firm in Southfield, Michigan.
'It must be own'd, that the Endeavourss of such of the ancient Geographers now remaining, as Strabo, Ptolemy, Pomponius Mela, and the Nubian Geographer, &c were very considerable in those Times, tho' much short of the Modems, both as to Method and Perfection.
As Learning decay'd, that Study was in a manner bury'd till the last Century, when it was again reviv'd. Ortelius was one of the first who began to give it a new Life; after him, Mercator reduc'd it into a more connected System. Cluverius oblig'd the Publick, by bringing it into a better Method, as well as by his incomparable Books of Germania, I!alia and Sicilia Antiqua.'
This statement of John Senex in 1721, by placing 'Cluverius' with two such pre-eminent figures in the history of cartography as Ortelius and Mercator, reflects the high regard in which Philipp Cluver was held in the early eighteenth century. However, his reputation has faded in our times to the point that he is not very well known today, even among historians. What was his contribution? What was his 'better Method'? Why was his book on Italy deemed 'incomparable'?
Philipp Cliiver was born in Danzig in 1580, where his father was Director of the Mint. He was initially educated in Danzig and was given the very best early education. He was sent briefly to the Court of the King of Poland for training and in 160 I his father sent him to Leiden to study law, there being close cultural and economic ties between Danzig and Holland at that time.
In the seventeenth century, Leiden became a centre of the Dutch cultural and artistic renaissance, being the birthplace of such famous painters as Rembrandt, Jan Steen and Jan van Goyen.
Clüver thoroughly disliked his legal studies at the University of Leiden. However, it was there he came under the influence of Joseph Scaliger and with his counsel began to concentrate totally on historical and geographical studies. In conjunction with these studies he travelled to various cities of Brabant in order to see the area itself, rather than being content with knowledge derived only from study. During this trip he was robbed of all his belongings by marauding soldiers.
His father, displeased with Clüver for abandoning his legal studies, withdrew financial support. As a result, despite help secretly given by his mother, Clüver left the University and became a soldier. He served in Bohemia and Hungary for two years. At that time he became acquainted with Baroness von Lobkowitz and with her father Baron Georg Popel von Lobkowitz, who had been imprisoned by Rudolf n, the Emperor of Austria, pending trial for improper activities in attempting to become a provincial governor. Clüver completed an Apology or defense of Lobkowitz in Latin, and then had it printed in Leiden, but Lobkowitz was executed and when the pseudonym which Cluver had been using was discovered he was put into prison in Holland at the request of the Austrian Ambassador.
With the help of his friends from Leiden, Cluver was released from prison and with his mother's financial help travelled to England where he married a poor young English woman. This had the effect of increasing Clüver's already difficult financial position.
During the period from 1607 until 1610 he travelled extensively, visiting parts of Germany, Scandinavia, the British Isles, France and Italy. Then he basically remained in England for a number of years. He wrote studies concerning the historical geography of the Rhine while at Oxford and these studies entitled Commentarius de tribus Rheni alves et osteis (Commentary on the three branches of the Rhine and their outlets) were published in Leiden in 1611. The position taken by Clüver in this work contradicted the then prevailing doctrine as to the location of the Roman border in Holland. However, although Clüver's position created continuing opposition to him over the succeeding years, it was ultimately recognized to be correct.
Because of his financial problems Clüver was pleased to receive financial aid from the already widowed now Countess Lobkowitz which permitted him to settle in Leiden in 1615. There his Germania Antiqua, on which he had worked while in England, was published in 1616. This is a more substantial work, considered by some to be Clüver's best. A total of eleven maps are presented in Germania Antiqua, grouped in varying numbers at the beginning of the four divisions or books (rather than throughout the same). They are all fairly undetailed. All show Cliiver as 'auctore' and most show Nicholas Gielkerk as engraver, while all appear to be by that engraver. This work proved successful in the scholarly world and earned recognition for Clüver.
In the year 1616, after publication of Germania Antiqua, Clüver received from the University of Leiden the title 'Geographicus Academicus' ('Academic Geographer'), which came to him with an annual stipend of 500 florins and an official residence. Despite this, he and his family, which had followed him from England, continued in financial need.
Read Full Article >>
[Acrobat Reader required]
COPYRIGHT June 1980 The Map Collector, All rights reserved.
No portion of this article nor the accompanying illustrations can or may be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
