Europe – Mapping a Continent Allegorical images of Europe in some atlas titlepages , frontispieces , and map cartouches

From the 16th century onwards many map-makers and authors provided decorative titlepages or frontispieces at the beginning of their works. These often displayed allegorical images and symbols reflecting the books’ contents, in order to attract potential readers. This contribution looks at some notable examples depicting images of Europe. Similar visual pictures often occur in the cartouches of maps of Europe. One mythological image frequently used was that of the rape of Europa by the god Jupiter disguised as a bull, a fable based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Other representations show Europe seated on a throne, as a superior ruler of other continents or, later, as the sponsor of the arts and the sciences. In some titlepage engravings of the 17th century she is shown defending the continent from the attacks of the Ottomans from the east. Later 19th century images may depict Europe in a more nationalistic role, flanked by each country’s armorial shield. A partir du XVIe siècle beaucoup de cartographes et d’auteurs ont produit des pages titres ou des frontispices décoratifs en début de leurs ouvrages. Ceux-ci montraient souvent des images et symboles allégoriques reflétant le contenu du livre dans le but d’attirer des lecteurs potentiels. Cet article examine quelques exemples notables en matière d’images de l’Europe. Les mêmes Allegorical images of Europe in some atlas titlepages, frontispieces, and map... Belgeo, 3-4 | 2012 12

bride.Some say to Crete as its first queen ; others suggest that she was carried across the seas to the more distant land that would later bear her name.
3 However, the image of Europe that appears in the well-known titlepage to Abraham Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum of 1570, the first standardised world atlas of its time, is not taken from Ovid.Shown as Figure 1, it has within an architectural structure, images of five women representing the known continents of the time 1 .Four figures show Africa, Asia, America and the supposed and only partly known land Magellanica.At the top of the architectural ensemble is the figure of Europe (Figure 1a).She sits on a throne as if superior to all other peoples of the world and, as well as being crowned, holds a sceptre in her right hand and in her left grasps a cross secured to a large orb of the earth.The cross signifies her Christian Catholic religion and, to add further emphasis, she is seated under a pergola decked with vine shoots and clusters of grapes.These were emblematic of Christ's blood, as drunk as part of the Christian Eucharist.Within the atlas itself, the map of the continent of Europe has a small mythological image which is part of the title in the upper left part of the map.This map would seem to be the first to make use in a limited way of the image of a bull bearing a maiden on his back.Both figures are placed on a plinth containing the title of the map, Europe.Ortelius' atlas had a wide circulation, with text in seven different languages and more than 30 editions from 1570 until 1612.However, as far as is known, there were no direct derivatives of the striking frontispiece over this time and the rival atlas-makers of Mercator and (later) Hondius and his successors did not incorporate a similar figure of Europe in their titlepages or maps although images of the other continents were often depicted.There was a unique compilation of maps by Gerard Mercator in 1570-72 known as the Atlas Europae but without either titlepage or frontispiece.Mercator's own wall map Europae Tabula was provided with a traditional Mannerist cartouche embracing the title and a similar cartouche was used by his son Rumold for his smaller two-sheet map of Europe printed in 1595.

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An atlas contemporary with those published by Ortelius is the Europae Totius Orbis Terrarum of Matthias Quad, published by the Cologne firm of Johann Bussemacher in 1592 2 .It contains 50 maps of the countries and local states of Europe, and the image of Europa and her abducting bull is seen as a small vignette at the foot of the titlepage (Figure 2).There is no textual explanation of its significance, suggesting that the meaning of the bull symbol signifying the rape of Europa would be sufficiently understood by the likely purchasers and readers of Quad's atlas.At the top is a double-headed eagle associated with the Hapsburg rule: probably more reflective of the allegiance of Cologne within the Holy Roman Empire than any reflection of Europe as a whole.It is not until the mid-17 th century that, through the medium of Joan Blaeu's multivolume Atlas Maior (or Grand Atlas) of 1662, a more splendid picture of the abduction of Europa appears ; in this instance as the frontispiece of the Europe section of the Atlas Maior (Figure 3).The frontispiece is unsigned but is not unreasonably attributed to Joannes de Visscher by comparison with his other (signed) works.The source for Blaeu's atlas may have been the 1562 painting by Titian although Titian was not alone in reading Ovid's Metamorphoses and in taking Jupiter's bold adventure as his theme.The engraving is an elegant one, showing Europa sitting easily on the back of a determined Jupiter (disguised as a bull), and grasping one of his horns.Europa, with her red cloak swirling behind her, seems to show pleasureable anticipation rather than the fear and distress exhibited by her companions left on shore 3 .As far as I know Blaeu's striking frontispiece was not copied by other atlas-makers.However, some 35 years later the same theme appears as the frontispiece to a historical work Histoire de l'Angleterre, d'Ecosse et d'Irlande by Isaac de Larrey, first published by Reinier Leers from Rotterdam in 1697 (Figure 4).Europa here appears as a more frantic captive, while her shore companions under a large portico headed Magna Britannia look on in stony-hearted disregard.The political significance of this scene (if any) is not immediately apparent.[and] other Kingdoms in the Orientall Indies (Figure 5).As part of the top vignette, Europe is seated on a straight-backed chair and is being assaulted by two fiercelooking Turks with drawn swords.She is using her tall cross and sceptre to try and keep them at bay.This miniature piece reflects the warring excursions between Christians and Ottomans that were common throughout the 17th century.These encounters reached a climax in 1683 when Ottoman forces were hammering at the fortifications of Vienna and were only just repulsed from sweeping further over central Europe.10 An even more elaborate image is to be found in the large decorative cartouche to the map of Europe by Pieter (or Pierre) van der Aa, from his Le Nouveau Theatre du Monde published in 1713 or 1714 (Figure 7).The seated figure of Europe is personified as that of Cybele with her turreted crown, the earth-mother goddess of cities.She grasps a miniature circular Christian temple, the embodiment of her faith.On the right is a vine with clusters of grapes and on the left a further cornucopia signifying bountiful harvests.Europa points to a golden tiara and other sceptres and crowns -emblems of authority -at her feet.
Beneath her throne is a large decorated vase flanked by two putti who point to a picture painted or sculpted on it, of the fable of Europa being carried away by Jupiter disguised as a bull.composition, signed by Jan Goeree as designer and J. Baptist as engraver.Jan Goeree engraved several maps for Jaillot as well as for Van der Aa ; the second-named artist is less well known.
13 The cartouche to the map of Europe by the English map-maker John Senex dating from 1721 includes an unusual additional allegorical image.Here the figure of Europe holds a small statuette of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory with her palm tree branch.At the feet of Europe are four putti with instruments of scientific measurement and surveying imparting the message of a sophisticated continent victorious over, or superior to, other lands in war and the sciences.The Germanic European maps by J. B. Homann (1706) and later by T. C. Lotter (c.1750) place more emphasis on (Christian) religious symbolism as a decorative backdrop to the figures of Europe gracing their title cartouches.
14 Towards the end of the eighteenth century the Italian painter and map-maker Giovanni Maria Cassini produced a world atlas in three volumes titled the Nuovo Atlante 5 .As far as is known the author is not directly related to the distinguished Cassini family who mapped France throughout the 18 th century.In the background is an inclined tower suggesting the Tower of Babel, and different tomes of a linguistic nature are lying in the foreground.One is labelled "Grimm" and, below, "Rask Vater".These names refer to the brothers Grimm (Jakob and Wilhelm), famed for their "Children's and Household Tales", and to the contemporary Danish philologist Christian Rasmus Rask.To the right, behind a tub of scrolls or papyri, is a small half-hidden bearded figure with a club and hexagonal shield, perhaps one of the dwarfs or gnomes associated with the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Peering over this scene from the right of the globe is a beady-eyed eagle.

ABSTRACTS
From the 16 th century onwards many map-makers and authors provided decorative titlepages or frontispieces at the beginning of their works.These often displayed allegorical images and symbols reflecting the books' contents, in order to attract potential readers. 4

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.Titlepage to the atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum of Abraham Ortelius, Antwerp, 1570.The example shown is from a later German-text titlepage, dating from 1572.

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Frontispiece to the European section of the Atlas Maior of Joan Blaeu, Amsterdam, 1662.

Figure 5 .
Figure 5. Detail from the titlepage to the Travels… Into Persia and Industani… by Sir Thomas Herbert, London, 1638.

Figure 7 .
Figure 7. Cartouche from the map of Europe by Pieter van de Aa, from his Le Nouveau Théâtre du Monde, c.1713.
Figure 8 shows the titlepage to volume I of Cassini's Nuovo Atlante (1792) with the crowned figure of Europe sitting on a large stone base.Behind her is a large mounted globe, somewhat unusually oriented so that west is at the top.To the right is a horse, the animal-attribute of Europe, and in front of her is a cornucopia of flowers and further objects representing the sciences and the arts.The female personification of Asia is to her right ; the further continental figures of Africa and America are in the background also with their animal attributes.Compositions with similar imagery form the titlepages to volumes II and III.According to visible signatures the volume I titlepage was designed by Stefano Tosanelli and engraved by Alessandro Mochetti.
Courtiers and Cannibals, Angels and Amazons: the Art of the Decorative Cartographic Titlepage, published in English by HES & De Graaf, 3990 G H Houten, The Netherlands.For an elaboration of the meaning of Ortelius' titlepage, see SHIRLEY R. (1998), "The Titlepages to the Theatrum and Parergon", in VAN DEN BROECKE M., VAN DER KROGT P. and MEURER P. (ed.), Abraham Ortelius and the First Atlas, Utrecht, HES, pp.161-169.Joan Blaeu's Atlas Maior of 1665, Taschen, pp.76-78 (enlarged frontispiece ; also texts by Joan Blaeu and Albert Camus).
This contribution looks at some notable examples depicting images of Europe.Similar visual pictures often occur in the cartouches of maps of Europe.One mythological image frequently used was that of the rape of Europa by the god Jupiter disguised as a bull, a fable based on Ovid's Metamorphoses.Other representations show Europe seated on a throne, as a superior ruler of other continents or, later, as the sponsor of the arts and the sciences.In some titlepage engravings of the 17 th century she is shown defending the continent from the attacks of the Ottomans from the east.Later 19 th century images may depict Europe in a more nationalistic role, flanked by each country's armorial shield.A partir du XVI e siècle beaucoup de cartographes et d'auteurs ont produit des pages titres ou des frontispices décoratifs en début de leurs ouvrages.Ceux-ci montraient souvent des images et symboles allégoriques reflétant le contenu du livre dans le but d'attirer des lecteurs potentiels.Cet article examine quelques exemples notables en matière d'images de l'Europe.Les mêmes Allegorical images of Europe in some atlas titlepages, frontispieces, and map...