An exhibition at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Title translated as Visions of the World for the same exhibition at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi in 2018.
Open daily except Mondays until 21 July 2019 at the BnF Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand, Quai François Mauriac, 75706 Paris Cedex 13. Full price entry ticket EUR 9.OO. A dynamic view of the exhibits, along with comments and videos in French, is available on http://expositions.bnf.fr/monde-en-spheres/index.html. The exhibition is accompanied by a descriptive and explanatory catalogue of 172 pages in French with 175 illustrations produced under the direction of Catherine Hofmann and François Nawrocki. ISBN/EAN: 978-2-7177-2798-2; BnF Editions distributed by Interforum. Price EUR 45.00. Available, among others, in the bookshop at the BnF.
For many diehard map collectors globes are not where it's at; too big or too small, too difficult to read, too inconvenient, or just simply decorations. Put three or four of them together, and we just give up.
But now Catherine Hoffman, head of maps and charts at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF) and François Nawrocki, assistant director of the Bibliothèque Saint-Geneviève, are making us think again.
The exhibition that is now running at the BnF in Paris until 21 July after first opening last year at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, has achieved two very significant advances:
It has considerably expanded our understanding of the globe by placing a number of the most important of these (many from the collection of the BnF) in their contemporary environments. To go with the around 40 globes themselves – both celestial and terrestrial, and including armillary spheres and some strange artwork at the end – there are another 150 artefacts that answer the where, how and why questions, humanising each globe in the process.
Thus, for example, accompanying the Islamic globes we have star maps, an astrolabe and manuscript images of astronomers and astrologers at work. Similarly, in a large painting by Monsiau (1786), we see Louis XVI with a globe and chart very much in evidence, giving instructions to La Pérouse before his departure on his last voyage.
It has situated the globes in their philosophical, religious, astrological, historical and aesthetic contexts, effectively valorising them not just as concrete, graphic objects but as cultural syntheses of their times.
The most spectacular illustration of this must be the famous clip from Chaplin's film the Great Dictator – playing continuously at the exhibition – of Hynkel working out his megalomania with a large, gas filled world balloon while Wagner is playing in the background.
But it is of course the globes themselves that are the stars of the exhibition. The trip through time starts in the second century BCE in Greece with a beautiful six centimetres diameter, silver celestial globe
{Fig. 1}
and moves on through a group of medieval Arab and Iranian copper and bronze celestial globes (including perhaps the oldest one of all, made in Andalusia in the 11th century) to arrive in early renaissance Europe at what for the writer is the cartographic star of the exhibition. The BnF's full size facsimile of 1847 is a representation of the oldest surviving terrestrial globe, that of Martin Behaim dating from 1492. Although only a facsimile, it is far more accessible than the original and gives us a vivid impression of the splendid artefact that the original's 15th century owners would have seen.
There then follow, each in its historical and social context, important hand made, printed and even mechanical globes by Waldseemüller (the Green Globe of 1506), Scniepp (1575), Reinhold (1588), Hondius (1600), van Langren (1630) and many more through into the twentieth century.
There is also much of interest for those who still prefer a flat map to a globe, including several important world maps, gores, star charts and atlases, along with printed works on spheres and geography that marked their epoch, by Reisch (1504), Strabo (1516), Apian (1550), etc.
That globes and cartography have always been a real part of society is demonstrated in many graphic scenes depicted in the exhibition. Starting in the first century CE with a mosaic showing philosophers debating in the presence a globe, we then move on through Carolingian, Persian, Arabic, Indian and other decorative manuscripts showing scenes that include a globe or astronomical measuring devices. From the renaissance and beyond, the curators have chosen paintings (by Holbein the Younger, van der Neer, Lefebvre, Vermeer and many others) and even a tapestry that show the utilisation of globes and maps for commerce, war, scientific and astrological observation, and even for the education of the children of the rich.
If the writer had to select two preferences (not necessarily what he would like to take home with him) among all these remarkable objects on display, he would choose the splendid and very large armillary sphere that greets visitors as they enter the exhibition. Made sometime between 1709 and 1718 by Jérôme Martinot, Louis XIV's official clockmaker (horloger, a task that involved winding up all the royal clocks and watches), it was originally driven by a clockwork mechanism
{Fig. 2}
.
A second choice, and one definitely not to be taken home, would be the enormous (240 cm x 130 cm) globe prepared in 1788 by perhaps the most important French cartographer of the turn of the century, Edme Mentelle (1730-1815), as a teaching aid for the eldest son of Louis XVI
{Fig. 3}
. It is in fact three globes in one: a terrestrial globe on the outside which can be separated between the two poles to reveal a celestial globe on the inside and, the most surprising, another globe, the kernel, which is in fact the first ever relief globe of the world.
If, on the other hand, you do not share the writer's gigantomania, there is a wonderful selection of coins and medals from antiquity through to the renaissance, including one of the stars of the show, the beautiful eight centimetres diameter cameo called the Triumph of Lucinius
{Fig. 4}
; dating from the 4th century CE, it shows the emperor in his chariot crushing his enemies. Nothing new here perhaps, but in his hand he is carrying a globe representing the earth, while two figures are presenting him with both a solar and a lunar globe. Here, as with the coins and many of the sculptures and manuscripts, the possession of a globe, in the hand or under the feet, is the unmistakable sign of a ruler's power and dominance.
Finally, while you're at the exhibition, don't forget to pay your respects to the two massive and absolutely superb Coronelli globes that are permanently housed in the same building. These are the painted terrestrial and celestial globes of 1683 prepared for Louis XIV, four metres in diameter and weighing two tonnes apiece, that are permanently on display just a short distance from where you will be.
If one must find a flaw in the exhibition, then it is simply that it is a shame that, while the large explanatory panels are in both French and English, the cards that succinctly describe each item are only in French. Can it really be that onerous to translate these into English, and wouldn't it be worth it in order to transform a truly unique exhibition into a truly unique international exhibition?
The exhibition catalogue is both erudite and visually attractive, illustrating and explaining a large number of the exhibits and allowing the reader to gain a much deeper understanding of their historical and scientific backgrounds. High definition images are also to be found on the exhibition's excellent website (whose URL is given above).
Summing up, the exhibition is simply remarkable, giving a highly understandable overview of the representations of the earth and sky as a globe that has been over 2000 years in the making. There really is something here for everyone, to the extent that it is a tribute to the exhibition that it is impossible to satisfactorily translate its French title into English; neither Abu Dhabi's nor my own English translations adequately reflect the breadth, mystery and importance of the subjects covered.
By Andrew Cookson
The Board of Directors of Imago Mundi Ltd invites proposals for hosting the 2023 conference. Please see the links to the Guidelines for those organizing a future International Conference on the History of Cartography, http://www.maphistory.info/ichcintro.html. The Guidelines set out the requirements for a successful conference and are intended to assist potential hosts to prepare a strong case. In particular, please see the document, Hosting an international conference.
Those considering hosting the 2023 conference should contact the Chairman, Imago Mundi Ltd., Tony Campbell, 76 Ockendon Road, London Nl 3NW, UK, tony@tonycampbell.info, as soon as possible for further details. Formal proposals need to be submitted by 1 December 2019. It is hoped to announce the results in the spring of 2020.
Good wishes,
Tony Campbell
Source: message from Tony Campbell to the Brussels Map Circle
The Malta Map Society tenth anniversary celebrations will be held on November 16 and 17, 2019 at the Presidential Palace in Malta with a seminar and conference sponsored by the President of Malta H.E. Dr. George Vella. Dr. Vella was previously Minister for Foreign Affairs. He is an avid collector of antique maps and a member of the Malta Map Society.
Source: message from David Roderick Lyon to the Brussels Map Circle
Parmi les trésors cartographiques conservés au Service historique de la Défense au Château de Vincennes se trouve une très grande carte manuscrite en couleur (160 × 143 cm environ). Cette carte signée « Naudin, ingénieur ordre du roy » a été dressée au moment de la bataille de Malplaquet (11 septembre 1709). C’est la première carte qui montre à grande échelle (1:28 800) le cœur du comté de Hainaut (région de Valenciennes, Mons, Landrecies, Avesnes) dont une bonne partie vient d’être conquise par la France : les villages ne sont plus représentés simplement par le symbole d’une église, mais par l’ensemble des rues, des maisons et des fermes qui les constituent ; la carte révèle la nature des paysages du Hainaut au début du XVIIIe siècle, avec, sans doute pour la première fois la représentation de « ouillères » dans le Borinage et dans la région de Fresnes.
Extrait de la Carte très particulière du Haynaut (…), cote 6 M LIB 903
Jean-Louis Renteux, le Vice-Président du Brussels Map Circle et éditeur de Maps in History, a analysé cette carte en détail dans un article paru dans le n° 238 de Cartes & Géomatique, bulletin du Comité Français de Cartographie (Décembre 2018). Il y étudie la situation militaire décrite sur la carte, avant, pendant et après la bataille de Malplaquet, bataille qui a marqué un tournant dans la guerre de Succession d’Espagne. Il examine également la carrière de Jean-Baptiste Naudin, ingénieur géographe au service du Ministre de la Guerre pendant cette même guerre, et les circonstances dans lesquelles il a dressé cette magnifique carte, puis l’a mise à jour pendant une vingtaine d’années. Cette carte a aussi certainement servi de source d’informations pour la production par le clan Naudin d’une série de cartes des régions frontalières jusqu’au milieu du XVIIIe siècle.
Le numéro 238 Cartes & Géomatique est en vente auprès du Secrétariat du Comité français de cartographie à l'adress suivante : 79, avenue de Paris, 94160 Saint-Mandé (tél/fax +33 1 43 74 70 93), Mél. lecfc@lecfc.fr, Web www.lecfc.fr.
The seventeenth Menno Hertzberger Prijs was awarded at the Koninklijke Bibliotheek on 21 March to prof.em.dr. Günter Schilder. The prize is for his entire oeuvre, but in particular for his standard work Early Dutch Maritime Cartography (2017). The Menno Hertzberger Aanmoedigingsprijs went to Dr. Arthur der Weduwen for his book Dutch and Flemish Newspapers of the Seventeenth Century, 1618-1700 (2017). The prizes are under the auspices of the Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Antiquaren, and reward studies in the field of book history.
Read more.
The world changes. The Royal Library of Belgium is evolving into KBR, a unique discovery experience to access exceptional knowledge.
Many sources of authentic information for readers and researchers
Rich cultural programming to discover extraordinary collections in a different way
Inspiring spaces: a real haven of peace dedicated to calm, study and reflection
Fully equipped meeting rooms in a unique setting, dedicated to professional meetings
KBR's missions remain the same, but the way to execute them changes. It adapts to society, rapidly changing, and to the new expectations of today's users.
KBR is now on a new website and has adopted a new logo.
All this is to be found on KBR website in French or in Dutch. Read more.
Jacopo de' Barbari and the Limits of Knowledge, by Rheagan Eric Martin,
Winning Article Ristow Prize 2018
The Lost Early Maps of Georgetown, by Chas Langelan
Brands and Nineteenth Century Antique Miniature Atlases, by Roger Stewart
Louis Max Nell – Colorado MapMaker, by Wesley Brown
ICHC28 – Amsterdam Update, by Bert Johnson
Recent publications - This regular feature, a bibliographic listing of articles and books appearing worldwide on antique
maps and globes and the history of cartography, is compiled by Leah M. Thomas.
Book reviews
A History of America in 100 Maps (Reviewer: JC McElveen)
Christianity Beyond Christendom: The Global Christian Experience on Medieval
Mappaemundi and Early Modern World Maps (Reviewer: Marguerite Ragnow)
The Da Vinci Globe (Reviewer: Bob Karrow)
Map Men: Transnational Lives and Deaths of Geographers in
the Making of East Central Europe (Reviewer: Wes Reisser)
The Stornoway map is one of a group belonging to Stornoway Public Library, which were sent to the National Library of Scotland (NLS) in 2017 for digitisation. However, the map could not initially be digitised due to its poor condition. It had been heavily conserved in the past, leaving the paper stained, skinned and distorted, with many large cracks, tears and losses. It had also been entirely covered in cellulose acetate lamination, making its surface very glossy. With funding from the Aurelius Trust, the NLS was able to undertake the conservation work necessary for digitisation, and the conservation project began in September 2018.
More interesting technical details about this project on
https://blog.nls.uk/conserving-the-map-of-stornoway-by-james-chapman-ca-1800/
.
Une carte du pays d’Alost, conservée aux Archives générales du Royaume (Belgique) et vieille de près de quatre siècles, a été restaurée. Cette grande carte murale (127 x 160,5 cm) relativement inconnue date de 1626 et est attribuée au cartographe Philips De Dijn, originaire d’Aspelare (Ninove). Le document est conservé au sein du fonds Arenberg.
La restauration avait été commandée par le cercle historique du pays d’Alost, qui voulait, à l’occasion de son 70e anniversaire, consacrer un numéro spécial de sa revue à ce trésor cartographique et à la figure de Philips De Dijn. La restauration a été soutenue par des subsides des pouvoirs publics flamands.
On ne sait exactement comment la carte est arrivée au sein du fonds Arenberg, conservé aux Archives générales du Royaume. La carte est orientée vers le sud et couvre le territoire de la châtellenie d’Alost (région entre l’Escaut et la Dendre). Elle contient des plans figuratifs des villes d’Alost, Grammont, Renaix et Zottegem ainsi que des plans de villes se situant en dehors du territoire, notamment Termonde, Gand, Lessines, Ninove et Audenarde. Les églises paroissiales, l’infrastructure routière, les cours d’eau, les forêts et les bâtiments importants se situant sur les frontières ou à leur proximité, sont également représentés. En dehors de la partie cartographiée, figure une construction architectonique avec cinq piliers, qui représentent cinq autres entités : les pays de Rode, Gavere, Zottegem, Boelare et Schorisse.
Source: http://www.arch.be/index.php?l=fr&m=actualites&r=toutes-les-actualites&a=2019-01-28-restauration-d-une-carte-murale-du-pays-d-alost
