| Record ID | cp010099 |
| Voet reference number | 1662 |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | |
| Author | Gerard MERCATOR |
| Title page transcription | Map, engraved, on 15 sheets, 1605 × 1344. |
| Collation | |
| Fingerprint | |
| Number of sheets | |
| Pages | |
| Edition information | |
| Copies | University Library Basel - Basel (Switserland)Grand-Ducal Library, Weimar |
| Bibliographical references | |
| Online bibliographical references | |
| Note 1 | This 2nd edition of Mercator's monumental map of Europe bears the inscription 'Regiae item Maiestatis [= Philip II] autoritate datum est Christophoro Plantino prototypographo regio, in utroque Consilio, Privato et Brabantiae, ne quis in Brabantia reliquoque Belgio hanc Europae descriptionem emendatam intra decennium imitetur, imprimat, uendat, aut alibi etiam impressam ibidem distrahat, sub mulctis in diplomatibus contentis'. The two privileges (Council of Brabant, 23 February 1571 old style, and Privy Council, 15 March 1571 old style) have been preserved in Museum Plantin-Moretus (reproduced in J. Denucé, Oud-Nederlandsche kaartmakers in betrekking met Plantijn, II, 1913, pages 304-306, and pages 300-302). |
| Note 2 | In his request for a copyright for 15 years, recopied in the privileges, Plantin motivated the exceptionally long number of years asked for the copyright, by stressing that he had bought the copperplates of the map, had corrected them at 'grande costainge et despence', and now wished to print and publish them. (He only got a privilege for ten years). Consequently, according to these documents, Plantin may be credited with having published Mercator's Europe map of 1572. This has been accepted by some scholars (cf. Denucé, op. cit., II, pages 281-283 and 299; and M.F. Van Ortroy, 'Les sources scientifiques de la cartographie mercatorienne' in Mélanges d'histoire offerts à Henri Pirenne, quoted in De Gulden Passer, 5, 1927, page 46). In fact, for some reason, Mercator had preferred not to apply personally for a privilege in the Netherlands, but had induced Plantin (who at that time had practically the sale's monopoly for Mercator's maps in the Netherlands) to do him this favour: the Europe map was printed and published by Mercator; Plantin had to buy from Mercator all the copies he sold - but he was paid back by Mercator for the expenses involved in obtaining the privileges (12 florins Carolus guilders for the privileges, and 3 florins Carolus guilders for the painting of two maps of Europe presented to councillors at Brussels: Denucé, op. cit., II, page 314). Cf. L. Voet, 'Les relations commerciales entre Gérard Mercator et la maison plantinienne à Anvers' in Duisburger Forschungen, 6, 1962, pages 171-172. |
| Further reading |
| All Time | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Full Text Views | 14 | 14 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 0 | 0 | 0 |