Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
not the first voyager who travelled to Russia. Earlier there were two brothers - Stephen
Borough (1525 - 1584) and William Borough (1536- 1599) who undertook the task to pass the
way to mouth of the Ob river. Richard Chancellor (1520-1556) and Sir Hugh Willoughby
(1516-1554), the explorers of the northern part of Russia were the next travelers, but
unfortunately they both perished in their voyages.
Anthony Jenkinson was the trustworthy agent of the Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603,
dominated 1558 - 1603). He began his journeys in 1557. First of them were in 1557-1560. The
next: 1561-1563 (to London 28 Sept. 1564), 1566 - 1567 and the latest 1571 - 1572. His map is
dated back to the 1562, however, when we take into account the examinations by Samuel H.
Baron's (1989)
1
and Krystyna Szykuła's, (2000)
2
, the map in question has been probably
published between 1567 and 1569.
An exciting moment when the genuine copy of the map has been rediscovered was finally
that could be compared with the existing renditions, i.e. made by Abraham Ortelius (1527 -
1598) and Gerard de Jode (1509 - 1591). It was especially exciting because of the different
representations by Ortelius and de Jode which differ with one another. Namely de Jode's
picture displays only, even not in whole, the left-hand part of the original. Before the
genuine copy was recognized, scholars had discussed who of these two cartographers has
been right. Finally today we know that Ortelius' representation was correct in respect to the
territorial range.
The size of the three maps - the prototype and its renditions was the essential distinction to
be seen at first glance, because of the quite other way of situating the title and dedication
cartouche. The existence of the dedication has been only mentioned by Ortelius, but we can
learn about its content as recently as from the genuine copy. The same concerns the content
of boxed texts, decorative elements and borders - much more of them and changed in style
in the genuine copy of the map. An appearance of the quite new creators in the main title
cartouche was of the most importance issue. Namely, both of the creators of renditions
placed Jenkinson as an author in their cartouches, but only Ortelius additionally included
the name of Henry Sidney (1529-1586), the sponsor of the genuine map to whom the above
mentioned dedication has been devoted by the editor Clement Adams (1519? - 1587). The
second unknown yet to us was an engraver Nicolaus Reinoldus (Nicolas Reynold).
We
already know him thanks to his letter mentioned in the Introduction, unfortunately
undated, which has been estimated to be written about 1573
3
. The name of the printer of the
1
The date has been established by Professor regarding the journeys of Thomas Southam and John Spark, quoted in
their account, in early English: “
The way discouered by water by vs Thomas Southam, and Iohn Sparke, from the towne of
Colmogro, vnto the citie of Nouogrode in Russia, conteining many particulers of the way, and distance of miles as hereafter
foloweth
.
Anno 1566”
(
Hakluyt, 1589, p. 390)
2
The date has been established by the author according to
“A topic of heraldry”
at Cambridge University Library, call
number Kk. I. 26 (Szykula, K., 2000). One of the coats of arms have been conferred to Henry Sidney in 1566 and
visually it is undoubtedly connected with the composed under the dedication in the genuine map
3
In the light of the recovered map the date is now not possible to be correct, because of the date of the Ortelius' first
edition
“Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” (1570),
where the rendition has been included. The possible date must be previous
to the first edition, then about 1569 (?). The date 1573 had been estimated before the genuine map has been recovered
and placed in Hessels J.H., 1887 (the mentioned printed collection of the Ortelius' correspondence)
