Leiden University Student Repository

Moorman, Gloria (2014)

Discovering Rome through Joan Blaeu’s Admiranda Urbis Romæ: the creation of the town atlas of Rome (Amsterdam, 1663) in the light of Italian-Dutch relationships in the seventeenth century

Master thesis | Media Studies (MA)

In this thesis the creation and appearance of Joan Blaeu’s town atlas of the city and monuments of Rome, the Admiranda Urbis Romæ, are treated. In the first part the social-historic context related to the appearance of the town atlas is discussed: relevant elements for the interest in Italy in the second half of the seventeenth century were taken into consideration (Humanism, the collecting of antiquities, Grand Tour). The flourishing of Dutch publishing in this period has also been treated, in particular the emergence of the Blaeu firm in Amsterdam. In the second phase of the research focus was shifted towards the town atlas of Rome. Its goal, contents and intended audience, as well as the relationships with Italian sponsors and the collaboration of the Blaeu firm with their Italian contacts were discussed. After a description of the characteristics of the original Blaeu edition, in the final part of the thesis later editions by other publishers were treated. A conclusion was then...Show moreIn this thesis the creation and appearance of Joan Blaeu’s town atlas of the city and monuments of Rome, the Admiranda Urbis Romæ, are treated. In the first part the social-historic context related to the appearance of the town atlas is discussed: relevant elements for the interest in Italy in the second half of the seventeenth century were taken into consideration (Humanism, the collecting of antiquities, Grand Tour). The flourishing of Dutch publishing in this period has also been treated, in particular the emergence of the Blaeu firm in Amsterdam. In the second phase of the research focus was shifted towards the town atlas of Rome. Its goal, contents and intended audience, as well as the relationships with Italian sponsors and the collaboration of the Blaeu firm with their Italian contacts were discussed. After a description of the characteristics of the original Blaeu edition, in the final part of the thesis later editions by other publishers were treated. A conclusion was then reached about the development of a subtly changing perspective on Rome as witnessed through the various editions of the town atlas of Rome; the relations between the Netherlands and Italy in the second half of the seventeenth century were a guiding theme through the entire research.Show less

Humanism

Cartography

Grand Tour

Publishing

History

Golden Age

Blaeu

Rome

Amsterdam

Author

Moorman, Gloria

Note

A scholarship granted by the Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut Rome (KNIR) has enabled me to study the editions of the town atlas available in the libraries of the KNIR and the British School in Rome and to consult relevant secondary material in the collections of these institutes and in the Biblioteca Angelica during the period 3-30 June 2014.

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Book and Digital Media Studies

Supervisors

Hoftijzer, Paul

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en