Heinrich Schweickher: Atlas of Wuerttemberg 1575 The earliest Atlas of Wuerttemberg
Heinrich Schweickher: Atlas of Wuerttemberg 1575 The earliest Atlas of Wuerttemberg
InquiryHeinrich Schweickher: Atlas of Wuerttemberg 1575
The earliest Atlas of Wuerttemberg
A LAND IN BIRD´S-EYE VIEW
The maps are drawn in bird’s-eye perspective; towns and villages, hamlets and farmsteads, rivers and woods, valleys and hills are characterised in outline. Like other charts of the time the Atlas of Wuerttemberg displayed, the world with a different standard then the one used today, with North at the foot of the page, South on top, West on the right and East on the left. The work of the office father from southern Wuerttemberg, Heinrich Schweickher(1526–1579) is an outstanding achievement of its time. All later maps and charts of the region go back to this elementary work.
Faithful facsimile edition of the manuscript Cod. Hist. 4° 102 in the Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart. 114 pages. Format: 38×25.5cm. Dark leather binding with blind tooling. 48-page academic commentary volume by Wolfgang Irtenkauf.
Both volumes in a case.
MAPLE TABLETS AND A STAMPED LEATHER CASE - A PRECIOUS FRAME FOR A MAGNIFICENT WORK OF ART
This is a truly extraordinary piece, not least due to its outer appearance: a total of 14 small maple tablets lie protected in a valuable, dark stamped leather case. Each of the tablets is set with four fine, detailed drawings that are placed in small frames. The tablets were originally arranged in a fanfold, and the valuable leather case had been designed to protect the valuable contents, with a strap that probably served to carry it around as a bag.
The purpose of this unique piece of art still remains a matter of speculation. Was it a model collection for an itinerant artist, who was just as familiar with Bohemian as with French and Italian art, or was it destined for a patron – a gift of thanks or an incentive for the patron to commission more art in order to secure the artist’s livelihood?
Characteristics
Heinrich Schweickher: Atlas of Wuerttemberg 1575 - The earliest Atlas of Wuerttemberg | |
| Creation Year | |
| Library | Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart |
| Signature | Cod. Hist. 4° 102 |
| Extent | 114 pages |
| Miniatures | 52 coloured charts |
| Language | german |
| Type of Manuscript | Map |
| Genre | Topography |
| Artist/Workshop | Heinrich Schweickher |
The Edition
Heinrich Schweickher: Atlas of Wuerttemberg 1575 - The earliest Atlas of Wuerttemberg | |
| Format | 38cm x 25,5cm |
| Binding | Dark leather binding with blind tooling |
| Commentary Volume (Language) | 48-page academic commentary volume by Wolfgang Irtenkauf |
| Publisher | Müller und Schindler |
| Item Number | 61024 |
Questions and Answers
The Atlas is the oldest known map collection of the former Duchy of Württemberg, consisting of 52 intricately drawn and vividly coloured maps, detailing both ecclesiastical and secular administrative districts, but not the Free Imperial Cities.
The maps are drawn from a bird's-eye perspective, showing towns, villages, hamlets, farms, forests, rivers, valleys, and hills in their shapes and courses.
The Atlas of Württemberg has an inverted orientation compared to modern maps: south is at the top, west is on the right, and east is on the left.
Heinrich Schweickher was a guardian of orphans in southern Württemberg (1526–1579), and his work is considered an extraordinary achievement for his time. All later cartographic depictions of the region are based on his maps.
The Atlas includes 52 maps, illustrating the religious and secular administrative areas of Württemberg, though the Free Imperial Cities are not represented.
Schweickher likely faced challenges related to the lack of advanced tools for precise measurements, limited access to large-scale geographical data, and the necessity to manually illustrate detailed topographical and political features.
His detailed and comprehensive approach set a standard for future cartographic works in the region. His bird's-eye perspective and division of administrative boundaries provided a foundational model for later maps, influencing how geography and politics were depicted in Württemberg.
Schweickher’s work, though lesser known than some of the famous cartographers like Gerardus Mercator, was highly influential within his region. While Mercator focused on large-scale world maps and projections, Schweickher focused on detailed regional maps that were crucial for local administration and governance.
