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 +
It is very hard if not impossible to define the cost of an atlas in Ortelius'
time with those of today. A skilled scraftman in Ortelius'time earned
somewhat less than guilder per day.
Thus, to buy a copy of the 1570 edition of the Theatrum required the wage of
a little more than one week. A survey of the price development of the
Theatrum over time is given below:
Ortelius atlas edition
number of maps
price per atlas
price per map
number of copies printed (and sold)
overall yield
1570ABC
53
fl. 6,50
fl. 0,12
325
fl. 2113
1571L
53
fl. 6,50
fl. 0,12
275
fl. 1788
1571D
53
fl. 6,50
fl. 0,12
275
fl. 1788
1572F
53
fl. 6,50
fl. 0,12
150
fl. 975
1572G
53
fl. 6,50
fl. 0,12
250
fl. 1625
1573L
75
fl. 9,00
fl. 0,12
75
fl. 675
1573L1stAdd
18
fl. 2,05
fl. 0,11
100
fl. 205
1573G1stAdd
16
fl. 2,00
fl. 0,13
50
fl. 100
1573G
69
fl. 9,00
fl. 0,13
75
fl. 675
1573D1stAdd
16
fl. 2,00
fl. 0,13
75
fl. 150
1573D
69
fl. 9,00
fl. 0,13
75
fl. 675
1574F1stAdd
16
fl. 2,00
fl. 0,13
50
fl. 100
1574F
69
fl. 9,00
fl. 0,13
75
fl. 675
1574L
70
fl. 9,00
fl. 0,13
175
fl. 1575
1575L
70
fl. 9,00
fl. 0,13
100
fl. 900
1579L2ndAd
23
fl. 2.05
fl. 0,09
250
fl. 513
1579L(AB)
93
fl. 12,00
fl. 0,13
500
fl. 6000
1580G2ndAd
23
fl. 2,05
fl. 0,16
50
fl. 103
1580/1589G
93
fl. 12,00
fl. 0,13
350
fl. 4200
1581F
93
fl. 14,00
fl. 0,15
400
fl. 5600
1584L3rdAdd
24
fl. 3,50
fl. 0,15
100
fl. 350
1584L
112
fl. 16,00
fl. 0,14
750
fl. 12000
1584G3rdAdd
24
fl. 3,50
fl. 0,15
75
fl. 262
1585F3rdAdd
24
fl. 3,50
fl. 0,15
75
fl. 262
1587F
112
fl. 16,00
fl. 0,14
250
fl. 4000
1588S
100
fl. 16,00
fl. 0,16
300
fl. 4800
1590L4thAdd
22
fl. 4,00
fl. 0,18
100
fl. 400
1591G4thAdd
22
fl. 4,00
fl. 0,18
75
fl. 300
1592L
134
fl. 20,00
fl. 0,15
525
fl. 10500
1595L5thAdd
17
fl. 3,50
fl. 0,20
100
fl 350
1595L
147
fl. 23,00
fl. 0,16
500
fl. 11500
1597G5thAdd
17
fl. 3,50
fl. 0,20
75
fl. 262
1598/1610D
91
fl. 20,00
fl. 0,22
100
fl. 2000
1598F
119
fl. 20,00
fl. 0,17
525
fl. 10500
Total
7225
fl. 82282
Table 1: Editions and Additamenta produced during Ortelius' lifetime, number
of maps for each edition, costs per atlas, costs per map sheet, number of
copies of each edition and total yield for each edition.
Prices of the above table are based on uncoloured atlases, the kind which
Ortelius preferred (in spite of the fact that he started his career as a
colourist) because it allows better inspection of details on the map.
Coloured atlases cost about twice the price of uncoloured atlases.
Prices per map sheet almost doubled in the course of 28 years. Does this
reflect inflation in Antwerp over this period?
Since Ortelius financed all editions except the 1588 Spanish edition, which
was made at the expense of Plantin, his total turnover of almost 80,000
guilders represents a very large sum indeed at this time.
A competent printer in Plantin's workshop around 1580 earned about fl. 100
per year, and a competent typesetter about fl 150. A bricklayer in Antwerp
at this time earned about fl. 140 per year.
Let us compare these prices of the various editions of Ortelius' Theatrum
with atlases of contemporaries on the basis of data as given in Denucé, Voet
and Koeman.
De Jode's 1578 Speculum Orbis Terrarum, which was published in 1579 cost fl.
6 and contained 65 map sheets. This amounts to fl. 0,17 per sheet. As we
have just seen, Ortelius map sheets had a price of fl. 0,13 in the 1579
edition of the Theatrum, which is considerably lower. De Jode's 1593
Speculum Orbis Terrae had 85 map sheets and cost fl. 12, which is fl. 0,14
per map sheet. When we compare this with Ortelius' 1592 Latin edition of the
Theatrum
we see in table 1 that Ortelius' price per map sheet was then fl. 0,15 per
map sheet, almost the same as De Jode.
The Civitates Orbis Terrarum series of Braun and Hogenberg, which in many
respects (but not as concerns its texts) resembles Ortelius' Theatrum but
deals with cities rather than regions, provides interesting data:
Ortelius Theatrum edition
Price per map sheet
Braun and Hogenberg edition
Price per map sheet
1572F, 1572G
fl. 0,12
1572, Part 1
fl. 0,11
1575L
fl. 0,13
1575, Part 2
fl. 0,11
1581F
fl. 0,15
1581, Part 3
fl. 0,11
1588S
fl. 0,16
1588, Part 4
fl. 0,11
1598F
fl. 0,17
1597, Part 5
fl 0,11
Table 2: Prices per map sheet of Ortelius and Braun and Hogenberg compared.
The gradual rise in price per map sheet which we observed in table 1 does
not seem to have been the result of inflation, in which case we would expect
a similar rise in the Civitates Orbis Terrarum, unless inflation was very
different between Antwerp and Cologne in the last part of the 16th century.
Let us therefore turn to Mercator, who lived and worked for most of his life
in Duisburg. Voet presents the following data:
Ortelius Theatrum edition
Price per map sheet
Mercator edition
Price per map sheet
1592L
fl. 0,15
Part 1 & 2, 1592
fl. 0,16
1598F
fl. 0,17
Part 1 & 2, 1599
fl. 0,16
1598F
fl. 0,17
Part 1, 2 & 3, 1599
fl. 0,18
Table 3: Prices per map sheet of Ortelus and Mercator compared.
By part 1, 2 and 3 of Mercator's atlas, Voet presumable refers to (vdK
Atlantes Vol. I) atlas 1:001, 1:002 and 1:003. As table 3 shows, there are
no substantial differences between the prices of Mercator's atlas per map
sheet as compared with those of Mercator. All we can conclude is that
Ortelius, and to a more limited extend and over a shorter period of time, as
well as Mercator gradually raised their prices, whereas the price of the
Braun and Hogenberg town atlas remained stable. We can still maintain that
the Theatrum was the most expensive large book of the 16th century, but that
this was not due to the price per map sheet, but to the fact that it
contained more map sheets than its closest competitor, Mercator's atlases.
Returning to Ortelius as a merchant, we may say that his increasing
affluence was due to the fact that his atlas was immensely popular and sold
well in spite of its high price, viz. more than 7000 copies, for over fl. 80
000, and due to the fact that he financed and organised the production and
sales of his own profit on each atlas sold was considerable. He spent these
earnings in the way that best served his scientific interests: on maps,
books, manuscripts, coins and objects of ancient and natural history, and on
ever bigger premises which served as museum and library to house all these
collections. Thus, Ortelius' talents as an artist, a humanist, scholar,
collector and merchant were in great harmony with each other and together
created the well-deserved reputation which Ortelius acquired in the course
of his life as prominent Renaissancist.
Marcel van den Broecke
Cartographica Neerlandica
http://orteliusmaps.com/
tel. +31 30 2202 396
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sebastian Diaz Angel" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 12:35 AM
Subject: [MapHist] Query: Ortelius' Theatrumoriginal cost
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 Maphistlist
Does anyone knows how much did the Theatrum Orbis terrarum originally
costed in nowadays currencies?
In Imhof (1998) the price of the Theatrum (1570) are in guilders: the
price per copy was 6 guilders, 10 stuivers"
does anyone knows how to convert these currencies?
thanks in advance
Sebastian Diaz
www.razoncartografica.com
_______________________________________________
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
