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Dear Ovidiu, the question you pose is closely connected to the one you posted on 15th January of this year. I sent to the list the private answer I gave you because it is of general interest and still has its validity also for the bibliographical references. Anyway, the reply given by Matthew Champion is quite good. Please check whether you have blind line following the contour of any feature of the map: if so it means that, using the Matthew's words, "the front surface has been traced over again" with a metal pencil. How did you detect the date 1790? vladimiro 15th january 2010 > Dear Ovidiu, > The best reply to your querries is in an ancient work entirely devote to how > to produce a map from the land survey to the instruments, scales, > projections, kind of paper and its dimensions, engraving tools and so on: > Mémorial Topographique et militaire, n. 5, Paris an XI (1803), for engraving > techniques you may see the Chapter IV - Gravure, "Notice sur la Gravure > topographique et géographique", pp. 65-90, by Bacler Dalbe. You may find > there not what we think (or suppose) was used for engraving maps but what was > actually used and suggest to use for engraving maps. > > I have discussed that fundamental works for the birth of modern cartography > in some recent works ( "L’occhio mutevole: militari e mappe tra rivoluzione e > restaurazione". In: La Cartografia europea tra primo Rinascimento e fine > Illuminismo, ( ed.s) Diogo Ramado Curto, Angelo Cattaneo, André Ferrand > Almeida, Firenze, Olschki 2003, pp. 229-244 and "Cartography, Art and > Mimesis. The Imitation of Nature, in Land Surveying in the Eighteenth and > Nineteenth Centuries", in: Observing Nature – The Osmotic Dynamics of > Romanticism Representing Experience 1800 – 1850, (ed.) Erna Fiorentini, > Berlin, Reimer 2007, pp. 57-71). > > About what you call "master engraving", I found and described a series of > manuscript sheets (late XVIII century) identical to the engravings; the > manuscript were used as originals to be copied by the engravers (L’Italia nei > manoscritti dell’Officina Topografica conservati nella Biblioteca Nazionale > di Napoli. Napoli, Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici, 1985). They > are on heavy paper and of a superb quality in drawing, I suppose that from > that originals Neapolitan draftsmen drew copies on light paper to be used for > the transposition on the copper. I think the last draft (to be used by the > engravers) were destroyed during the operation of copying, so no copy of the > last step should be survived . . . unless the last step was not carried on > and somebody kept the light oiled paper. Linen oil was used (from Medieval > time, see Cennino Cennini) to give transparency to the paper. > > best wishes > > vladimiro Il giorno 15/set/2010, alle ore 22.16, Ovidiu Sandor ha scritto: > This is a MapHist list message (when you hit 'reply' you're replying to the > whole list) > o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + o + > > > Dear all, > > I have recently come across a manuscript map that has raised, for me at > least, a number of questions. > > It is an Italian manuscript, around 1790. Drawn on 71 sheets of paper (not > very big sheets) and is, as stated, copied from Austrian sources. Total size > is about 2,5 x 3,5 m. > > What is of interest are the following facts: > - the paper used is very, very thin > - the paper has a dark yellow/brownish look and it is reasonable to assume > that it has been oiled (this is being tested chemically right now) > - on the back of each sheet, the paper has been covered with black colour > (probably charcoal or similar, again under testing); some sheets have the > black covering all of the back while most have it on those areas where there > is something drawn on the front side, that is, if a certain area of the front > does not have lines or text, then the back would not have the black colour in > that area (the attached sheet does not have black on the back in the left top > corner, for example) > - the map is not finished and does not look to have tried to be a "final" > map, but rather a draft > > Now, here are the questions: What use would the oiled, thin paper have? > What use would the black colour on the back have? > > I suppose this might be a stage in the process of issuing some sort of final > map (manuscript or printed). Would such a supposition stand in light of other > similar maps? > > How would military maps be prepared at that time? > > I would also appreciate any suggestions of literature covering these or > related issues. > > I attach the photo of one of the sheets. I have a higher resolution scan but > would email it only if requested, in order not to burden the mailboxes of > maphisters. > > Many thanks and kind regards, > Ovidiu Sandor > > > > > <manuscriptmap.jpg>_______________________________________________ > MapHist: E-mail discussion group on the history of cartography > hosted by the Faculty of Geosciences, University of Utrecht. > The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of > the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of > Utrecht. The University of Utrecht does not take any responsibility for > the views of the author. > List Information: http://www.maphist.nl > > Maphist mailing list > [email protected] > http://mailman.geo.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/maphist
_______________________________________________ MapHist: E-mail discussion group on the history of cartography hosted by the Faculty of Geosciences, University of Utrecht. The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Utrecht. The University of Utrecht does not take any responsibility for the views of the author. List Information: http://www.maphist.nl Maphist mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.geo.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/maphist
