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606 KRISTA ZAcH
the only exception known to date is the so-called reicherstorffer map
(Cologne 1595) 17 which was the first single map of Moldavia, titled – in a
simple cartouche:
“MolDAVIAe, FInItIMAruMq[ue] reGIonuM
typuS”. 18
this map does not resemble any of the known early Modern maps
showing Moldavia. It was attached much later to a new edition of the first
Cosmography of Moldavia, named Chorographia Moldaviae (Viennae
1550). Written by the transylvanian diplomat Georg von reicherstorffer
at the end of a journey to neighbouring Moldavia, he completed a mission
on order of the habsburg king Ferdinand I st . the booklet’s purpose was
political, deemed to explore that little-known Moldavian principality east
of transylvania. It seems that Chorographia Moldaviae remained almost
clandestine, reicherstorffer’s pertinent and detailed description did not find
its way into any of the 16 th /17 th century Dutch Cosmographies. And there is
no hint to Cantemir having known either reicherstorffer’s Chorographia
Moldaviae or the map included in its 1595 Cologne edition.
till the end of the 17 th century, Cosmographies and maps were mostly
provided by the more skilful and commercially more professional Dutch
cartographers. the mainstream was formed of products inspired by
ortelius (1527–1598), Mercator (1512–1594) and their Dutch and German
followers, among them Janssonius, the Blaeu family 19 , the homann 20
press and others. they started whole collections of maps, copying and
17 ZACH: Die Moldaukarte, 109 f., 112 f. - It was added in 1595 to the Cologne
edition of Georg von reicherstorffer’s Chorographia Moldaviae (Viennae 1550 /
Idem: Wien 1 1541) published without a map. this map was published again in 1746,
see SZATHMÁRY, tibor: Descriptio hungariae. Magyarország és erdély nyomtatott
térképe.Vol. 1: 1477-1600. Fusignano 1988, 255 ff.
18 See Appendix no. 5. rproduction in: www.nada.kth.se (03.09.2010).
19 ORTELIUS, Abraham: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. Antwerpen 1570–1612;
MERCATOR, Gerard: Atlas sive Cosmographicae Meditationes de Fabrica Mundi et
Fabricati Figura. Duisburg 1585-1602; BLAEU: le Grand Atlas (French edition). the
older German 1635 edition contains only descriptions and maps of europe: Novvs Atlas,
Das ist Abbildung und Beschreibung von allen ländern des erdteils. Gantz vernewt vnd
verbessert. Amsterdami, Apud Guiljelmum Blaeuw, Anno 1635. one copy belonged to
Duke Maximilian I st of Bavaria (1573–1651) who bequised it to the Munich Jesuit College
in 1664 (see handwritten remark on title page, in: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München,
Altkarten: 2 Mapp. 455z).
20 HOMANN, Johann Baptist: Großer Atlas über die gantze Welt in 126 Blättern.
nürmberg 1716–1724. he was well known as a nürnberg cartographer and editor, also
being a member of the prussian Academy and Imperial geographer to Karl VI th .