[ISHMap-List] Distinguishing between loose leaf maps from 1513 and 1520 Ptolemy

Joel Kovarsky joel at theprimemeridian.com
Sun Jun 29 22:59:05 CEST 2014


For those who do not have immediate access to Woodward's work, this 
(relatively) short essay, "Dillying and Dallying with Watermarks," also 
gets to the varied problems with watermark analysis: 
http://ihl.enssib.fr/en/paper-and-watermarks-as-bibliographical-evidence/dillying-and-dallying-with-watermarks 
. A short remark from that piece:

" Nothing like watermarks exposes the fragilities of observation. It is 
not gracious to say so (/so I'll say it/), but few, if any, scholars, 
even experienced bibliographers, can be trusted to observe paper in 
general and watermarks in particular with any degree of reliability or 
accuracy."

Joel Kovarsky

On 6/29/14, 4:34 PM, C Delano-Smith wrote:
> I'm entering this exchange rather late, so my comment may be repeating 
> what has been said or is in some other way gratuitous. If so my 
> apologies. But have you looked at David Woodward's comments (and 
> warnings) on watermarks in his Panizzi Lecture of 1995?  Published as  
> *Maps as Prints in the Italian Renaissance. Makers, Distributors & 
> Consumers* (British Library, 1996), 61-64. Short but pertinent and pithy.
>
> Catherine Delano-Smith
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Joel Kovarsky
> Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2014 9:07 PM
> To: ishm at lazarus.elte.hu
> Subject: Re: [ISHMap-List] Distinguishing between loose leaf maps from 
> 1513 and 1520 Ptolemy
>
> Although not singularly applicable to your Holy Land Map, it sounds like
> there can be watermark variation even within a single atlas issue:
> http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v30/bp30-01.pdf .
> Perhaps Chet van Duzer has some knowledge of this situation, given his
> remarks. The link I cite calls into question the presumption concerning
> utilization of a single source of paper.
>
>            Joel Kovarsky
>
> On 6/29/14, 2:10 PM, Ron Hekier wrote:
>> Many thanks to those that approached me off the list.   I provide
>> their responses below for the benefit of the group and future visitors
>> to the mailing list.
>>
>> In my opinion the investigation of watermarks holds great promise for
>> identifying maps from early atlases, presuming that the early atlases
>> were printed in relatively low numbers and utilized only one source of
>> paper.
>>
>> My copy of the Holy Land map reportedly from the 1513 atlas and not
>> the 1520 atlas has a watermark that appears similar to a fleur-de-lis.
>>
>> An image of the watermark on my map can be found at
>> http://i.imgur.com/KySYgPN.jpg
>>
>> On a related note, there are two other Ptolemy atlases for which loose
>> leaf maps are difficult to distinguish.  Those of the 1482 and the
>> 1486 atlases.
>>
>> On my Holy Land map purportedly from 1486, I find a watermark that
>> appears to be a daisy.
>>
>>
>> Below I append the helpful comments I received via email.
>>
>>
>> Is the paper watermarked - that may give you a decision one way or 
>> the other
>>
>>
>> Tom O'Loughlin
>>
>>
>> --------------------
>>
>>
>> With regard to your posting on ISHM regarding the 1513 and 1520
>>
>> Ptolemys, may I ask whether your map is hand-colored? If so, I may be
>>
>> able to shed some light on it, as I am engaged in a study of the
>>
>> coloring in hand-colored copies of the 1513 Ptolemy.
>>
>>
>> Best wishes,
>>
>>
>> Chet Van Duzer
>>
>>
>> --------------------
>>
>>
>> Dear Ron Hekier,
>>
>>
>> In Nordenskiöld´s collection there are only two maps of that edition
>> in Doria database.
>>
>> We have the edition in the National Library of Finland.
>>
>>
>> Here is the link of two leafs.
>>
>> https://oa.doria.fi/handle/10024/84457
>>
>>
>> Sincerely
>>
>> Anna-Maija Pietilä-Ventelä
>>
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>
>


-- 
Joel Kovarsky
The Prime Meridian
1839 Clay Drive
Crozet, VA 22932 USA
http://www.theprimemeridian.com
Phone: 434-823-5696

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