Ptolemaei Tabulae Cosmographicae

The work of Claudius Ptolemy

The second-century astronomer, mathematician, and geographer Claudius Ptolemy wrote a concise treatise on mathematical geography, known as "Geographia", which contained a projection theory as well as the names and coordinates of 8,000 locales of the world as it was then known. His treatise, which was appended with maps at a later date, is counted among the earliest cartographic works of geography in the world. After the work was thought to have been lost for over 1000 years, Ptolemy's treatise resurfaced in Italy around 1400. In 1409, Jacobus Angelus de Scarperia published the first Latin translation of the Greek manuscript under the title "Cosmographia", after which the work initially spread throughout Europe in numerous transcripts and reprints.

The Geographia crosses the Alps

In the German-speaking region, Lienhart Holl was the first printer to take up the Ptolemaic work. In his Ulm print workshop, he spared no expense or effort - early book production required a large outlay of capital - and in 1482 created the first printed atlas north of the Alps. His high-quality colored woodcuts were based on an edition by the Italian Benedictine monk Donnus Nicolaus Germanus, which was in the possession of the Truchsesses of Wolfegg Castle around 1470, and were distinguished by the strong blue color of the water surfaces, astonishingly large type, and exquisite paper. However, this high quality was Holl's undoing; the high costs and the accompanying debt led to the bankruptcy of the printer, who then had to leave the imperial city of Ulm in 1484.

Second edition

However, someone else, namely Justus de Albano, took advantage of this bankruptcy. The Venetian bookseller and publisher was able to acquire Holl's printing blocks and types and had Johann Reger print a second edition in 1486. This one has only one difference: The coloring of the water surfaces. Instead of the dark blue used by Holl, de Albano and Reger opted for golden brown making the two editions easy to distinguish, which was probably the intention of this simple and thus efficient change. At the same time, the choice of color implies a completely different and unusual aesthetic, which now no longer thrives on rich colors and contrasts, but on harmonious earth tones and greater homogeneity.