The title-page by Ortelius looks out to the world of the latest discoveries. Somewhat exceptionally, the meaning of the frontispiece is revealed in the preliminary pages of the atlas by means of a poem headed Frontispicii explicatio written by Adolf van Meetkercke, an alderman of Bruges. Van Meetkercke's poem explains that the figure at the top is Europe, enthroned as empress of the world. The large cross signifies the Catholic religion. The figure on the left of the main supporting arch, richly dressed as an Oriental princess, is Asia. The fumes of frankincense which issue from the thurible she is holding in her left hand represent oriental mystery. The figure of Africa is to the right, humbly clad, and carrying a sprig of balsam whose unique provenance was thought to be Egypt. The reclining figure at the bottom is America; probably the first allegorical representation of that continent. The arms and hunting equipment are appropriate to her Amazonian status as a warrior, and with the severed head there are insinuations of cannabalism. The remaining personification is that of Magellanica. Because no land beyond the north coast (the head) had been sighted, the rest being terra incognita, only the head of a woman is shown, with truncated arms. As the inhabitants were observed to light large fires (giving rise to the name 'Tierra del Fuego'), a flame burns on the plinth below the bust.


Without the explanatory poem revealing the content of Ortelius' title-page its detailed symbolism might have remained obscure. I myself was puzzled over its meaning for several years, until I realised that the answer lay in the poem in the preliminary pages to the atlas. After the first four impressions of 1570 the title-page was retouched to provide a striated background. Additional text may appear at the bottom, sometimes with the date and imprint. In 1602 a completely fresh plate was engraved which was used for the Spanish and Italian text editions up to 1612. Apart from the language used, this new plate can easily be identified by the appearance of one bunch of grapes to the left of the figure seated in the trellised pergola at the top instead of two bunches in earlier plates.

A somewhat more sophisticated development, and hence later in time, was the presentation of the title-page as a pictorial ensemble. The Dutch, and then the French, in the last quarter of the seventeenth century introduced title-pages where the title is a relatively small part of an overall pictorial design. Some of the finest examples are grand show pieces created and signed by accomplished engravers. For instance. Charles Simonneau engraved the title-page to Jaillot's Atlas François of 1695; Pierre le Pautre's signature appears on the title-page to the original Neptune François;[6] and Gerard de Lairesse's on the title-page of Visscher's Atlas Minor (1683). Even more complex pictorial title-pages are to be found in the German atlases of Homann, Seutter and Lotter. The stylisation is bolder in conception but compared to the French fin-de-siècle atlases the dramatic effect becomes overdone. Likewise, English copies of the grand classical effect in title-pages of the mid-eighteenth century often appear wooden and stilted in spite of some interesting pictorial examples. Perhaps because English readers were assumed to be less familiar with classical antecedents, explanatory lines of text were sometimes added at the bottom of the title-page or frontispiece to explain its significance. For instance, the patriotic pictorial frontispiece to Reverend Thomas Bankes' New System of Geography (c. 1790) is explained in the following terms:

'Neptune, raising Capt Cook up to immortality, a Genius crowning him with a wreath of Oak, and Fame introducing him to History. In the Front Ground are the Four Quarters of the World presenting to Britannia their various Stores.'

Finally, there is the predominantly cartographic title-page where an actual map is the focus of illustration. The various title-pages to the parts of De Bry's Voyages are often important maps in their own right, such as the world map showing Drake's voyages forming half of the title-page to America Part VIII (1599). Another example is the small oval map that appears on the title-page of the Journal van de Nassausche Vloot (1626) which is one of the first printed maps to show the west coast of Australia correctly. And in the frontispiece to Renard's edition of Frederick De Wit's Maritime Atlas (1715) almost the whole page is taken up with the world in circular form on a north polar projection, loaded on the shoulders of a stooping Atlas.

In the second part of this article in the next issue I shall be looking at the decorative content of cartographic title-pages and how the symbols and images presented there can be interpreted.

References:

1. Albert Fidelis Butsch, Handbook of Renaissance Ornament (first printed 1878-80, republished by Dover Publications, New York, 1969), plate 61.
2. Alexander Nesbitt (ed.) Two Hundred Decorative Title-Pages (Dover Publications. New York. 1964), plates 36 and 37. (The source bibliography of this work lists a number of books about general title-pages. These have not been enumerated separately as there is virtually no consideration at all in them of aliases or cartographically related material.)
3. Waller Crane. Of the Decorative Illustration of Rooks Old and New (first printed 1896, republished London, 1984), page 17.
4. Margery Corbett and R. W, Lightbown, The Comely frontispiece (London, 1979). The only book to analyse title-pages and frontispieces from an artistic and symbolic point of view. A long introduction, and then twenty chapters, each dealing with a selected frontispiece. William Rogers' version of Linschoten's title-page is described in chapter 4, with illustration.
5. Ulla Ehrensvärd. 'Decorative Illustrations in Early Maps and Atlases' in Nordenskiöld Seminar Papers ed, by Kerkko Hakulinen and Arvo Peltonen (Helsinki, 1981), page 127 and figure 9.
6. The frontispiece to the French Neptune formed the cover page to The Map Collector. No. 30, March 1985. It was described as being richly decorated with maritime allegory and incorporating the Royal fleur de lys of Louis XIV, patron of this enterprise.

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COPYRIGHT 1987 Rodney W. Shirley , 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.

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