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Fluviorum in Europa Principis Danubii Cum Adiacentibus Regnis nec non totius Graeciae et Archipelagi (Hungary, Danube, Greece)
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This map of Hungary, Danube regions and Greece, appeared in Homann’s Atlas Scholasticus. The title page of the atlas is labeled “Atlas Minor XXVI. Selectarum Tabularum Geographicum Homanni Secundum Methodum Huberni aliorumque recentorium geographorum dispositus et recognitus” – which translates as a selection of 26 geographic maps by Homann, arranged and revised according to the method of Hübner and other recent geographers. This scarce atlas, referred to as a Kleiner (meaning small/minor) atlas, included 26 selected maps by Homann, guided by Johann Hubner. This atlas also included a copper engraved, hand-colored title page as frontispiece from the Atlas Novus Terrarum Orbis Imperia by M. Rössler. Based on research, this atlas was most likely compiled between 1720 – 1737.
This beautiful map is translated “A most recent map of Hungary in Europe along the Danube, together with its neighboring kingdoms and also of all Greece and the Archipelago” This Homann map, issued in the early 18th century, presents a sweeping view of Central and Southeastern Europe, with special emphasis on Hungary and the Danube basin, then a contested frontier between the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire. The map extends beyond Hungary to encompass the surrounding kingdoms, including parts of Transylvania, Wallachia, Croatia, and Austria, highlighting the region’s political complexity. To the south, it covers the entirety of Greece and the Aegean Archipelago, areas of strategic importance in the struggle for dominance in the eastern Mediterranean. Like other Homann productions, the map is richly detailed with rivers, mountains, towns, and fortifications, while decorative cartouches lend it artistic flair and political symbolism. At the time, such maps served both as practical guides for statesmen and as instruments of propaganda, illustrating the shifting balance of power between Christian Europe and the Ottoman world. Today, it stands as a vivid record of how early 18th-century Europeans viewed one of the most contested crossroads of their continent.
Johann Baptist Homann (1663-1724) was a mapmaker who founded the famous Homann publishing company. He lived his entire life in Bavaria, particularly in Nuremberg. Initially, Johann trained to become a priest before converting to Protestantism and working as a notary. In 1702, Johann founded a publishing house that specialized in engravings. The firm flourished, becoming the leading map publisher in Germany and an important entity in the European map market. In 1715, Johann was named Imperial Geographer to the Holy Roman Empire by Charles VI and made a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Most importantly for his business, his reputation and contacts gained him imperial printing privileges which protected his publications and recommended him to customers. That privilege was noted on his maps as “Cum Priviligio.” Johann is best known for this Grosser Atlas ueber die ganze Welt, or the Grand Atlas of the World, published in 1716. After Johann died in 1724, the map plates and management of the company passed to his son, Johann Christoph (1703-1730). In Johann Christoph’s will, he stipulated that the company would be inherited by his two head managers – and that it would publish only under the name “Homann Heirs.” The firm continued in business until 1848.
Condition: Very Good - bright colors
Medium: Copper Engraving
Map Maker: Johann Baptist Homann
Coloring: Original Hand Color
Year: ca. 1720
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