档案中的宝藏

The Museum’s archives are full of wonderful and seldom seen objects that span over 500 years of maritime history. As the archivist, I derive infinite pleasure from discovering such items and making them accessible to the public. Some of my favorite discoveries have been in the collection of maps and atlases, including the map illustrated above.

This map of Northwest Europe was originally printed in the 1570 edition of Abraham Ortelius’Theatrum Orbis illarium.（世界剧院），被广泛被认为是第一现代地图集。在1570和1612之间，三十一款版Theatrum Orbis illarium.were printed. The Library owns a 1592 edition of the atlas, in addition to a number of separate maps by Ortelius that once graced the many editions ofTheatrum Orbis illarium.。

My interest in this map was sparked by an exhibit on sea monsters in maps curated for The Mariners’ Museum Library by Maria DiBenigno, an intern from the American Studies program at the College of William and Mary. While the map is geographically interesting, as it represents one of the most accurate renderings of Scandinavia and the British Isles produced in the 16^thCentury, it is the depictions of sea monsters and their coloration which really caught my eye.

应该指出的是，早期地图中描绘的大多数海怪物是奥拉斯·曼谷的插图的衍生物1539型地图，Carta Marina以及随后在他的书中发表它Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus（北方人民的历史，第一次发表于1555年）。图书馆拥有一个1561版的这项工作，这可能是未来博客的主题。

Back to the Ortelius map… In the upper right corner of the map, just above Scandinavia, is an illustration of a whale, typically called a Balena in early maps. While Magnus and Ortelius both recognized the existence of numerous types of whales, it is frequently difficult to identify the actual species being depicted. In his work on sea monsters, Joseph Nigg notes that the Balena may represent the Northern Right Whale.[1]He goes on to describe the Balena – with its “spouting blowpipes, pointed snout, teeth, ruff around the neck, pawlike flippers. ridge down its back, and cetacean fluked tail”[2]作为最常见的鲸鱼之一。有时它显示出威胁船舶，其他时间用小牛看。有时鲸鱼太大，船锚的船锚，在背上攀登，照明火灾。有时它在ORCA旁边显示。

Another striking example of a sea monster is seen next to the title block in the lower right corner. Pliny the Elder (23 -79), in hisNatural History,假设每个土地生物都有一个相当于海洋的生物。早期的中世纪地图制造商因此填充了与海牛（和公牛），海狗，海洋猪等混合生物的地图。[3]The image below is an excellent example of a sea bull.

到目前为止，地图中最有趣的图像是在地图的左下角所描绘的ICHThyocentaur，这是英国群岛西部的。Ichthyocentaur的起源于希腊神话;它被描述为具有男人的上半身的海洋生物，马的较低的前方，以及鱼的蛇纹石尾巴。在希腊神话中，有两种Ichthycentaurs，Bythos和Aphros，Centaur Chiron的兄弟。

This 17^thCentury depiction of an ichthyocentaur takes liberties with the description above by modifying the fore-legs of the creature. Additionally, this example is seen playing a viol. What is perhaps most striking about this illustration is the color palate used by the colorist. The colors seem to be taken from a 1960’s poster rather than a 17^thcentury map. Chet Van Duzer, whose work on sea monsters is well known, had an opportunity to view this map when he spoke at the museum a few years ago. He stated that the colors are entirely appropriate for this map.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at one of the archives’ intriguing maps. Maps from the late medieval period and the Renaissance are wonders to behold. They combine new knowledge of the world with images of creatures real and imagined. As Chet Van Duzer notes in his introduction, “The subject [of sea monsters on medieval maps] is important in the history of not only cartography and of art, and specifically of zoological illustration,而且也是海洋奇妙和西方概念的地理位置。“[4]我很乐意回答有关这张地图的任何疑问，并欢迎您对其他地图的建议，因为我在未来博客中探索“奇妙的地理”。

进一步阅读的建议：

Nigg, Joseph.Sea Monsters: A Voyage around the World’s Most Beguiling Map。芝加哥;伦敦：芝加哥大学出版社，2013年。

Van Duzer, Chet.在中世纪和文艺复兴时期地图的海怪物。伦敦：英国图书馆，2013年。

国会图书馆的这篇文章提供了关于ortelius的背景信息Theatrum Orbis illarium.:https://www.loc.gov/collections/general-maps/articles-and-essays/general-atlases/ortelius-atlas/

Footnotes:

[1]nigg，p。152.

[2]nigg，p。54.

[3]van duzer，p。9。

[4]van duzer，p。8. emphasis added