Erhard Etzlaub
Encyclopedia
Erhard Etzlaub was an astronomer, geodesist, cartographer, instrument maker and physician.
From letters from a third party dated 1500 and 1507, we learn that he was a well-known instrument ("compass") maker and a geodesist, and from a letter dated 1517, that "he had also practicised as a physician for at least four years" and that he "comes from Erfurt". In 1515, he declared himself to be an "astronomer and physician, from Erfurt University".
His death is officially quoted as the 15th entry in an official list of 20 people buried between December 20, 1531 and February 21, 1532. Therefore, he very probably died in January or early February 1532. There were no inheritors.
in stereographic projection
of app. scale 1:5,6 mio., the earliest printed road map of central Europe. It is, as all of Etzlaub's maps, "South-up". Distances between cities can be computed by dotted lines, where a one-dot-step means one German Mile (7400m). Coloured ones (according to author's innovative requirements) of those prints show political regions, too.
The area of the map is between latitudes 58°
(Viborg, Denmark
) and 41°
(Naples
). No longitudes are given, but Paris
shows up at the western margin, and Budapest
at the eastern one. Data may have been drawn from c.1421 Klosterneuburg
Fridericus map as well as from Etzlaub's own interviews with travelling merchants.
(south of Salerno), and about 74 more km towards west, and the map was more detailed in former marginal regions.
From all three editions, only 6 samples are known to have survived (e.g. the ones held by SUB (Göttingen), Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg), Bibliothèque Nationale (Paris), British Library (London)), but Etzlaub's data were widely used during the first half of the 16th century, among others by Martin Waldseemüller
and Sebastian Munster
. Often, even the "South-up" display was copied.
' days, which were fitted with a compass, too, and were also used by seafarers. Only two of Etzlaub's pieces remain: one, from 1511, is kept by Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg), another one, from 1513 and in Drecker's collection, purportedly "went to the USA".
In his time, Etzlaub's pieces were demanded: In a 1507 letter, Michel Beheim, brother of famous globe maker Martin Behaim
, tells his brother Wolfgang that such pieces (i.e. more than one) will be sent to him to Lisbon within a few weeks, as soon as Etzlaub would have finished them. Johannes Cochlaeus notes on Etzlaub's work in Brevis Germaniae Descriptio, 1512, that his sundials were even demanded in Rome.
Miniature maps (latitudes 67°
–0°
, "South-up", no longitudes given) are engraved on the outside of the instrument's lids, allowing its user to adjust the gnomone according to actual latitude. To cope with compass bearings between the cities given, varying latitudes were used, reducing scale for lower latitudes, which was innovative, but conceptually opposite to Mercator's later approach (F.W. Krücken, 2004). In 1917, Joseph Drecker (1853–1931) had examined the 1513 miniature map and declared it to be a Mercator projection
. After carefully analyzing both Etzlaub's und Mercator's maps, Krücken finds out: "There is no reason to see Etzlaub as a precursor of Mercator's projection".
Instructions on the use of his sundials were given by Etzlaub in Codex ad Compastum Norembergensem which was kept by Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Germany, but seems lost.
", "Pfalzbayern" and Austria
.
Since 1517, Etzlaub's coat of arms
shows up in many but not all of his almanacs. It seems, however, to be unknown to relevant German collections of heraldry.
Life
One "Erhart Etzlauber" became a citizen of Nuremberg in 1484, but his profession was not recorded on that occasion. Assuming that the "Eberhardus Eczleiben" who matriculated at the Erfurter Hochschule in 1468 is very probably the same person, then the year of his birth should be between 1455-1460 rather than later.From letters from a third party dated 1500 and 1507, we learn that he was a well-known instrument ("compass") maker and a geodesist, and from a letter dated 1517, that "he had also practicised as a physician for at least four years" and that he "comes from Erfurt". In 1515, he declared himself to be an "astronomer and physician, from Erfurt University".
His death is officially quoted as the 15th entry in an official list of 20 people buried between December 20, 1531 and February 21, 1532. Therefore, he very probably died in January or early February 1532. There were no inheritors.
The "Romweg" Map
On occasion of the Holy Year 1500, when many pilgrims were expected to go to Rome, he designed his famous "Rom-Weg" map, a 41 x 29 cm wood engravingWood engraving
Wood engraving is a technique in printmaking where the "matrix" worked by the artist is a block of wood. It is a variety of woodcut and so a relief printing technique, where ink is applied to the face of the block and printed by using relatively low pressure. A normal engraving, like an etching,...
in stereographic projection
Stereographic projection
The stereographic projection, in geometry, is a particular mapping that projects a sphere onto a plane. The projection is defined on the entire sphere, except at one point — the projection point. Where it is defined, the mapping is smooth and bijective. It is conformal, meaning that it...
of app. scale 1:5,6 mio., the earliest printed road map of central Europe. It is, as all of Etzlaub's maps, "South-up". Distances between cities can be computed by dotted lines, where a one-dot-step means one German Mile (7400m). Coloured ones (according to author's innovative requirements) of those prints show political regions, too.
The area of the map is between latitudes 58°
58th parallel north
The 58th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 58 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
(Viborg, Denmark
Viborg, Denmark
Viborg , a town in central Jutland, Denmark, is the seat of both Viborg municipality and Region Midtjylland. Viborg is also the seat of the Western High Court, the High Court for the Jutland peninsula...
) and 41°
41st parallel north
The 41st parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 41 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
(Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
). No longitudes are given, but Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
shows up at the western margin, and Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
at the eastern one. Data may have been drawn from c.1421 Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg
Klosterneuburg is an attractive small town in Lower Austria, Austria with a population of 24,442.It is located on the Danube, immediately north of Vienna, from which it is separated by the Kahlenberg and Leopoldsberg hills...
Fridericus map as well as from Etzlaub's own interviews with travelling merchants.
The "Roman Empire" road map
This was a second and improved edition of principally the same map, 1501, 54,5 x 39,7 cm, printed in Nuremberg by Georg Glogkendon. In 1533, Glogkendon's son Albrecht printed one more (unchanged) edition. The area covered by that later map was expanded to latitude 40°40th parallel north
The 40th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 40 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean....
(south of Salerno), and about 74 more km towards west, and the map was more detailed in former marginal regions.
From all three editions, only 6 samples are known to have survived (e.g. the ones held by SUB (Göttingen), Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg), Bibliothèque Nationale (Paris), British Library (London)), but Etzlaub's data were widely used during the first half of the 16th century, among others by Martin Waldseemüller
Martin Waldseemüller
Martin Waldseemüller was a German cartographer...
and Sebastian Munster
Sebastian Münster
Sebastian Münster , was a German cartographer, cosmographer, and a Hebrew scholar.- Life :Münster was born at Ingelheim near Mainz, the son of Andreas Munster. He completed his studies at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen in 1518. His graduate adviser was Johannes Stöffler.He was appointed to...
. Often, even the "South-up" display was copied.
More maps
Besides the innovative "Romweg" map and its later editions, only two still existing maps are definitely known to be designed by Etzlaub:- A 1492 wood cut (39 x 27 cm, printed by Jorg [George] Glogkendon, Nuremberg), showing 100 localities and their names within a radius of 120 km from Nuremberg.
- Another map of Nuremberg's territory, 1519, painted on parchment by Nuremberg painter Michel Graf (scale ca. 1:30.000, 94 x 84 cm).
- An earlier similar map, from 1516, came to us only as a copy made in 1600.
- A 1507 plan of Hauseck real estates bought by the Nuremberg magistrate is lost.
- With some probability (being very similar to the 1519 map), a map from 1516, parchment, 60 x 69 cm is Etzlaub's design.
- The earliest map of BohemiaBohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, created by Mikuláš KlaudyánMikuláš KlaudyánMikuláš Klaudyán was a physician and scholar in Mladá Boleslav, Bohemia and member of the Unity of the Brethren. He printed the oldest map of Bohemia . He was in close contact with printers in Nürnberg....
(Nikolaus Klaudian or Claudianus) and printed in Nuremberg in 1518, is likely to be somehow "connected" to Etzlaub: Klaudyán stayed at Nuremberg several times during the years before, and one of Etzlaub's Almanachs appeared in Czech language in 1517 although Etzlaub is very unlikely to have spoken it. The Klaudyán map is "South-up", shows an outline of Bohemia's borders similar to the "Romweg" map, and is coloured in a similar way.
The instrument maker
"Kompast" [sic!] was the term used for pocket-size sundials produced in Nuremberg since RegiomontanusRegiomontanus
Johannes Müller von Königsberg , today best known by his Latin toponym Regiomontanus, was a German mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, translator and instrument maker....
' days, which were fitted with a compass, too, and were also used by seafarers. Only two of Etzlaub's pieces remain: one, from 1511, is kept by Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg), another one, from 1513 and in Drecker's collection, purportedly "went to the USA".
In his time, Etzlaub's pieces were demanded: In a 1507 letter, Michel Beheim, brother of famous globe maker Martin Behaim
Martin Behaim
Martin Behaim , was a German mariner, artist, cosmographer, astronomer, philosopher, geographer and explorer in service to the King of Portugal.-Biography:The Behaim family had immigrated to Nuremberg because of religious persecution around...
, tells his brother Wolfgang that such pieces (i.e. more than one) will be sent to him to Lisbon within a few weeks, as soon as Etzlaub would have finished them. Johannes Cochlaeus notes on Etzlaub's work in Brevis Germaniae Descriptio, 1512, that his sundials were even demanded in Rome.
Miniature maps (latitudes 67°
67th parallel north
The 67th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 67 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane, about 50km north of the Arctic Circle. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia and North America....
–0°
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
, "South-up", no longitudes given) are engraved on the outside of the instrument's lids, allowing its user to adjust the gnomone according to actual latitude. To cope with compass bearings between the cities given, varying latitudes were used, reducing scale for lower latitudes, which was innovative, but conceptually opposite to Mercator's later approach (F.W. Krücken, 2004). In 1917, Joseph Drecker (1853–1931) had examined the 1513 miniature map and declared it to be a Mercator projection
Mercator projection
The Mercator projection is a cylindrical map projection presented by the Belgian geographer and cartographer Gerardus Mercator, in 1569. It became the standard map projection for nautical purposes because of its ability to represent lines of constant course, known as rhumb lines or loxodromes, as...
. After carefully analyzing both Etzlaub's und Mercator's maps, Krücken finds out: "There is no reason to see Etzlaub as a precursor of Mercator's projection".
Instructions on the use of his sundials were given by Etzlaub in Codex ad Compastum Norembergensem which was kept by Staatsbibliothek, Munich, Germany, but seems lost.
Etzlaub's "almanachs"
Those were calendars to be hanged on the wall, giving festive days, new and full moon, some planet's positions and hints on healthcare like best times for blood-letting. They show up since 1515. It is likely that Etzlaub published them every year, although the preserved samples are not continuous. According to different regions where they would be sold, the same content was presented in a varying design. From 1520, four different versions exist, designed for "Hochstift Eichstädt", "City of RegensburgRegensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
", "Pfalzbayern" and Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Since 1517, Etzlaub's coat of arms
shows up in many but not all of his almanacs. It seems, however, to be unknown to relevant German collections of heraldry.
Literature
- Brigitte English, Erhard Etzlaub's Projection and Methods of Mapping, in: Imago Mundi, 48 (1996), pp. 103–123.
External links
- Fritz Schnelbögl, „Leben und Werk des Nürnberger Kartographen Erhard Etzlaub“ in Mitteilungen des Vereins für Geschichte der Stadt Nürnberg Bd. 57. 1970, S. 216-231, Facsimile, German.
- F.W. Krücken, Düsseldorf 2004, On Etzlaub's and Mercator's maps, German
- Original woodcut of the "Romweg map"
- Facsimile of the 1500 "Romweg" map, not coloured, but high resolution
- Cut of the 1500 "Romweg" map, coloured
- Cut of the 1501 coloured edition
- 1492, Surroundings of Nuremberg, zoomable map (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna, Austria)