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Books by karen de coene
The first biography of J.J.F. de Ferraris, the man behind the map of the Austrian Netherlands. Ba... more The first biography of J.J.F. de Ferraris, the man behind the map of the Austrian Netherlands. Based upon the personal correspondence with his wife, Henriette d'Ursel. Carte blanche is a microhistorical monograph that describes the daily life and behaviour of an aristocrat-entrepreneur in a Europe in transition.
Book Reviews by karen de coene
Maps in History, 2024
Caroline De Candt's book review of my Ferraris' biography, published in 'Maps in History' (English).
Carte blanche. De diplomatie van Ferraris in een Europa in omwenteling., 2024
Het buitengewone leven van graaf Joseph de Ferraris, spilfiguur in de Habsburgse elite en de zuid... more Het buitengewone leven van graaf Joseph de Ferraris, spilfiguur in de Habsburgse elite en de zuidelijke Nederlanden Het rommelt en bruist in het Europa van de lange achttiende eeuw. Grootmachten Pruisen, Frankrijk, Spanje, Groot-Brittannië en Oostenrijk botsen met elkaar in opeenvolgende oorlogen, de Verlichting doet zijn intrede en in de salons wordt aan tradities en de samenleving gewrikt.
Book review: Karl Whittington, Body-Worlds: Opicinus de Canistris and the Medieval Cartographic I... more Book review: Karl Whittington, Body-Worlds: Opicinus de Canistris and the Medieval Cartographic Imagination, Turnhout, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Department of Publications (PIMS), 2014, 224 pages, BIMCC Newsletter 52 (2015).
Book review: La terre: connaissance, représentations, mesure au moyen âge (P.G. Dalché, L’Atelier... more Book review: La terre: connaissance, représentations, mesure au moyen âge (P.G. Dalché, L’Atelier du médiéviste 13, Collection dirigée par Jacques Berlioz et Olivier Guyotjeannin, Turnhout, Brepols, 2013), BIMCC Newsletter 50 (2014), pp. 6-7.
Conference Presentations by karen de coene
In the second half of the sixteenth century Gerard Mercator, Abraham Ortelius and Antonio Lafreri... more In the second half of the sixteenth century Gerard Mercator, Abraham Ortelius and Antonio Lafreri started to compile maps into bound volumes. Unlike their being perceived as early “atlas” makers, they were at the very start of the genre.
What the “atlas” should become was not yet well defined, hence their different approaches. Ortelius’ fear of “horor vacui” resulted in printed text on the reverse side, while Lafreri was convinced that bundles of prints were more suited for lesser scholars, whereupon Mercator criticises the Italians, who “merge erroneous and counterfeited maps with authentic and exact ones into a single entity, without order, without respect for the proportions, without judgement”.
All this does not imply that atlas production happened in pure isolation. Quite on the contrary interregional and international contacts evolved out of the printers’ and dealers’ networks and made the different atlases available on Europe’s main cartographical markets. In 1570 Ortelius’ “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” had been spotted in Rome. When two years later, it was being sold in an as important bookseller’s shop as Tramezzino’s, it was doing rather well.
Besides providing knowledge on the origin and distribution of the genre, networks are a clue in our understanding of the composition of individual atlases like the KOKW-atlas (Sint-Niklaas, Society of Antiquaries of the Land van Waas).
Generally spoken, two aspects cannot be emphasized enough: firstly, the Italian atlas was conceived as a single bespoke collection of separate printed maps, not as a book whose contents were the same for each buyer, and secondly, composite atlases were a product of the Italian print market. Whether these atlases received their binding at the time of purchase or rather later, maybe even in the next centuries, may therefore be difficult to determine.
Participants at the Rome conference witnessed how developing cartographical knowledge is an on-going process. A copy of the most rare newsprint in the KOKW-atlas, the “Rotta (route) de Hughnoti”, which –as the title mentions - relates to the Huguenots or French protestants, was as well present at the Bibliotheca Centrale and in a private collection.
Cartographical analysis remains often limited to visualisation, while, on the other hand, privile... more Cartographical analysis remains often limited to visualisation, while, on the other hand, privileging the use of written text sources makes historians stick with traditional text analysis or ‘close reading’ as their favourite methodology. However, a close navigating between traditional literary analysis and spatial methodologies, here defined as ‘close mapping’ can add new evidence, hypotheses and arguments to the historical interpretation.
The project NOMOB (A Research Map on Noblemen’s mobility in the Austrian Netherlands) at Ghent University used ‘close mapping’ as a method to study the mobility of the 18th century cartographer Joseph de Ferraris and to reconstruct his itineraries. Textual and cartographic analysis from his private correspondence and maps were combined by using an itinerary research map with separate map layers: a current topographic map (OSM), areal maps, the historical survey maps of the Habsburg Empire (HL), a semantic vector layer (SL) with data from textual analysis and finally a landscape vector layer with the suggested path roads (LL). NOMOB’s close mapping is a low-cost method mainly intended for the single working researcher without GIS expertise.
Spatial analysis has enabled historians to present historical data in new ways. Yet, the so-calle... more Spatial analysis has enabled historians to present historical data in new ways. Yet, the so-called spatial turn is a difficult dance. Cartographical structuring does not often respond in an appropriate way to the demands of historical criticism while the full potential of modern cartography is not applied to new historical research questions. As a consequence the use of spatial methodologies in historical research confirms or ‘proves’ the research conclusions of the historians, but goes seldom beyond the already known, nor does it provide new research results.
The research project NOMOB (Noblemen’s mobility in the Austrian Netherlands) at Ghent University tries to fill the gap by constructing an all-in-one research map that combines spatial research techniques with textual analysis.
The aim is to acquire knowledge on mobility and social network of the cartographer Joseph de Ferraris during his travels in 1777 and 1778. Ferraris 's case combines a limited dataset with several research questions, necessary for development of cartographical research tools. His map of the Austrian Netherlands is well known, but his private correspondence is far less studied. Yet his frequent letters provide detailed information on his itineraries, transport facilities, lodging and postal service, as well as on his social contacts. They actually enable us to answer a far more important meta-question: does processing geographical and social data in a research map result in data that were otherwise not possible to achieve? Is the map doing the research, or is it, once again, just an instrument to visualise research results?
To answer this question the geographical dataset constructed from the letters is mapped on a current topographic map after a retrogressive interpretation of the landscape in combination with historical map analysis. This map offers the advantage of being accurate, whereas the geometric reliability of older maps is questionable at best. Today’s landscape shows partially the same topographical characteristics of a few centuries ago. Canals, main roads, churches etc. are on the same spot since the moment they have been constructed. They function as fixed elements in the landscape environment and supply the historical information with additional data that enable the reconstruction of Ferraris ‘s itinerary. For the further development two major problems can be expected. Firstly, how does a research map deal with the vagueness of both textual and cartographical data? Secondly, since Ferraris 's social contacts are as mobile as he is, 'change' becomes an important feature of both geographical place and social network.
L'œuvre de Mercator, qui s’inscrit dans une tradition de la connaissance géographique héritée de ... more L'œuvre de Mercator, qui s’inscrit dans une tradition de la connaissance géographique héritée de l’Antiquité et du Moyen-Âge, marque le passage vers une nouvelle cartographie. Son influence est considérable du 17e siècle à nos jours. Mercator se situe au début de la grande révolution cartographique, à une époque où l’approfondissement de la représentation du monde est remplacé par son extension : la vision monde s’agrandit.
Au-delà de son Atlas, Mercator doit sa renommée à sa projection du monde révolutionnaire qui sert encore aujourd’hui dans diverses applications web.
Although the implications of mobility and long-distance connections on human relations assume gre... more Although the implications of mobility and long-distance connections on human relations assume greater significance in the 21st century, the role of transport in social interaction is a very understudied topic in contemporary studies, and it is even more in history. The growing awareness that social capital is not a local area-based phenomenon relates seemingly more to the present-day hyper-connected world than to past societies.
However, eighteenth century networks provide many examples of the concerted action between spatial distance and compensating proximities. One of them is the network of
Joseph de Ferraris (1726-1814).
Mobility and networking are among the main concerns of Ferraris, an eighteenth century cartographer under whose guidance the artillery corps of the Austrian Netherlands carried
out a mapping project of the territory. The resulting large scaled map, the “Carte de Cabinet”, is considered a milestone in the history of Belgian cartography. At the moment of its presentation to the Viennese Court in December 1777, a commercial counterpart was still being set up. This last one, the “Carte Marchande”, was brought to an end during Joseph de Ferraris ‘s assistance in the War of the Bavarian Succession. The well regulated warfare of this old-style Cabinet War (Kabinettskriege) needed to prevent the Austrian claim on the Electorate of Bavaria.
Ferraris ’s “military service” interfered with his cartographic ambitions in a way that his share of the work was reduced to mere financial and long-distance management, calling
on his wife, Henriette d’Ursel, to coordinate the Brussels ’s production unit. Soon after they had married in 1776 their relationship became characterized by spatial distance and
repeated separation only to be overcome by mutual mobility and many, many love letters.
This private correspondence provides an overview of the large aristocratic network of family, friends and acquaintances of the Ferraris couple. Ferraris ’s social network is distributed allover Europe and illustrates the mobility of Austrian nobility.
Studies in economic geography recently emphasized the importance of both spatial proximity and alternative types of proximity for knowledge networks. From the cartographer’s life and letters it becomes clear that spatial distance does not have to be a limiting factor, it can create new possibilities to enlarge and strengthen the bonds of a social network. As such the lack of spatial proximity is compensated by social proximity
that appeared to be of more value to the Ferraris ‘s. Especially the neighborhood of the Viennese court enables them to access high financial and political support.
We will make use of a research map based upon modern cartographical techniques and a retrogressive approach to question in different map layers the mobility of Ferraris and the
geographical distribution of his social network. The social actors have indeed residences in different geographical areas, some of them travel frequently and their residences determine partially Ferraris ’s mobility.
Since a few decades historical cartographical studies started to emphasize the social and spatial... more Since a few decades historical cartographical studies started to emphasize the social and spatial context of the map maker. The fact that the so-called “cartographer” could fulfill different roles in map production, is less discussed. Whom we now consider a cartographer, may have been entitled by his contemporaries as cosmographer, land surveyor, designer, printer, military man or manager. If any map maker would actually have designed, drawn, or printed a map is a disputable fact.
The life and pursuits of the Austrian general Joseph de Ferraris (1726-1814) shows in particular the complex role of the eighteenth century cartographer. Under Ferraris ’s guidance the artillery corps of the Austrian Netherlands carried out a mapping project of the territory between 1770 and 1777. The resulting large scale map is considered a milestone in the history of Belgian cartography.
We will use Ferraris ‘s maps and private correspondence to explain his cartographic innovations as regards the eighteenth century social, cultural and spatial context. Eighteenth century cartographic theories about maps, projection and land surveying as discussed in Diderot ’s Encyclopédie were indeed not easily put in practice. Good ideas –not necessarily one’s own- were in need of an excellent team, financial aids, intense networking, high mobility and ... a devoted wife to accomplish a mapping project.
Maps, marriage and mobility are among the main concerns of Joseph de Ferraris (1726-1814), an eig... more Maps, marriage and mobility are among the main concerns of Joseph de Ferraris (1726-1814), an eighteenth century cartographer under whose guidance the artillery corps of the Austrian Netherlands carried out a mapping project of the territory.
The resulting large scaled map, the “Carte de Cabinet”, is considered a milestone in the history of Belgian cartography.
At the moment of its presentation to the Viennese Court in December 1777, a commercial counterpart was still being set up. This last one, the “Carte Marchande”, was brought to an end during Joseph de Ferraris ‘s assistance in the War of the Bavarian Succession. The well-regulated warfare of this old-style Cabinet War (Kabinettskriege) needed to prevent the Austrian claim on the Electorate of Bavaria.
Ferraris ’s “military service” interfered with his cartographic ambitions in a way that his share of the work was reduced to mere financial and long-distance management, calling on his wife, Henriette d’Ursel, to coordinate the Brussels ’s production unit.
From their intense private correspondence in 1778, it is however clear that Ferraris ’s service to the Imperial Court contributed highly his own interests. His travels and social contacts, as described in the letters, indicate how the large aristocratic network of family, friends and acquaintances helped to construct and maintain his private, social and professional life.
We will focus on noblemen with a key role in the correspondence and their spatial distribution, emphasizing as such the geographical mobility of this relatively new noble couple. Soon after they had married in 1776 their relationship became characterized by spatial distance and repeated separation only to be overcome by mutual mobility and many, many love letters.
Papers by karen de coene
Dissemination of Cartographic Knowledge, 2017
The project STREAM (Spatio-Temporal Research Infrastructure for Early Modern Flanders and Brabant... more The project STREAM (Spatio-Temporal Research Infrastructure for Early Modern Flanders and Brabant) aims to create a research infrastructure that will allow spatio-temporal analyses in order to improve our understanding of the demographic, social and economic changes that occurred in Flanders and Brabant (Belgium) between 1550 and 1800. The Carte de Cabinet of count Joseph de Ferraris (1771–1778) offers information on various subjects for that time period and is considered one of the most important products of Belgian cartographic history. Hence this historical map was used as the main source document to develop a vectorial geographical database that constitutes an important step towards the creation of a research infrastructure. To build this geographical database a retrogressive method was used in order to interpret the historical map and its related data in an absolute geographical reference system, which the Carte de Cabinet lacks. Since STREAM results from a collaboration between researchers from different disciplines a specific user-oriented editing platform was developed to support the different actors. This platform allows the digitisation of the historical road network in a geographic reference system based on the current road network by means of a slider, a shift tool and an editing tool. Initial analyses have confirmed the strong geometric distortions of the Carte de Cabinet but also the multiple possibilities for spatio(-temporal) research when combining the information of the Carte de Cabinet with cartographic analyses of other cartographic documents.
Cartographical analysis remains often limited to visualisation, while, on the other hand, privile... more Cartographical analysis remains often limited to visualisation, while, on the other hand, privileging the use of written text sources makes historians stick with traditional text analysis or ‘close reading’ as their favourite methodology. However, a close navigating between traditional literary analysis and spatial methodologies, here defined as ‘close mapping’ can add new evidence, hypotheses and arguments to the historical interpretation. The project NOMOB (A Research Map on Noblemen’s mobility in the Austrian Netherlands) at Ghent University used ‘close mapping’ as a method to study the mobility of the 18th century cartographer Joseph de Ferraris and to reconstruct his itineraries. Textual and cartographic analysis from his private correspondence and maps were combined by using an itinerary research map with separate map layers: a current topographic map (OSM), areal maps, the historical survey maps of the Habsburg Empire (HL), a semantic vector layer (SL) with data from textual analysis and finally a landscape vector layer with the suggested path roads (LL). NOMOB’s close mapping is a low-cost method mainly intended for the single working researcher without GIS expertise.
Handelingen der Maatschappij voor Geschiedenis en Oudheidkunde te Gent, 2011
Ad edification anime en libellum istum de diversorum auctorum floribus (Gent, Universiteitsbiblio... more Ad edification anime en libellum istum de diversorum auctorum floribus (Gent, Universiteitsbibliotheek, Ms. 92, f. 3v). 17 'Als ik iets vertel dat niet door een grotere autoriteit kan bevestigd worden, hoewel ik het door de rede lijk aan te tonen, dan moet het aanvaard worden met geen andere zekerheid dan dat het voorlopig zo schijnt te zijn, totdat God mij ooit iets beter openbaart' (Videlicet ut, si quid dixero quod maior non confirmet auctoritas-quamvis illud ratione probare videar-, non alia certitudine accipiatur, nisi quia interim ita mihi videtur, donec deus mihi melius aliquo modo revelet).
The first biography of J.J.F. de Ferraris, the man behind the map of the Austrian Netherlands. Ba... more The first biography of J.J.F. de Ferraris, the man behind the map of the Austrian Netherlands. Based upon the personal correspondence with his wife, Henriette d'Ursel. Carte blanche is a microhistorical monograph that describes the daily life and behaviour of an aristocrat-entrepreneur in a Europe in transition.
Maps in History, 2024
Caroline De Candt's book review of my Ferraris' biography, published in 'Maps in History' (English).
Carte blanche. De diplomatie van Ferraris in een Europa in omwenteling., 2024
Het buitengewone leven van graaf Joseph de Ferraris, spilfiguur in de Habsburgse elite en de zuid... more Het buitengewone leven van graaf Joseph de Ferraris, spilfiguur in de Habsburgse elite en de zuidelijke Nederlanden Het rommelt en bruist in het Europa van de lange achttiende eeuw. Grootmachten Pruisen, Frankrijk, Spanje, Groot-Brittannië en Oostenrijk botsen met elkaar in opeenvolgende oorlogen, de Verlichting doet zijn intrede en in de salons wordt aan tradities en de samenleving gewrikt.
Book review: Karl Whittington, Body-Worlds: Opicinus de Canistris and the Medieval Cartographic I... more Book review: Karl Whittington, Body-Worlds: Opicinus de Canistris and the Medieval Cartographic Imagination, Turnhout, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Department of Publications (PIMS), 2014, 224 pages, BIMCC Newsletter 52 (2015).
Book review: La terre: connaissance, représentations, mesure au moyen âge (P.G. Dalché, L’Atelier... more Book review: La terre: connaissance, représentations, mesure au moyen âge (P.G. Dalché, L’Atelier du médiéviste 13, Collection dirigée par Jacques Berlioz et Olivier Guyotjeannin, Turnhout, Brepols, 2013), BIMCC Newsletter 50 (2014), pp. 6-7.
In the second half of the sixteenth century Gerard Mercator, Abraham Ortelius and Antonio Lafreri... more In the second half of the sixteenth century Gerard Mercator, Abraham Ortelius and Antonio Lafreri started to compile maps into bound volumes. Unlike their being perceived as early “atlas” makers, they were at the very start of the genre.
What the “atlas” should become was not yet well defined, hence their different approaches. Ortelius’ fear of “horor vacui” resulted in printed text on the reverse side, while Lafreri was convinced that bundles of prints were more suited for lesser scholars, whereupon Mercator criticises the Italians, who “merge erroneous and counterfeited maps with authentic and exact ones into a single entity, without order, without respect for the proportions, without judgement”.
All this does not imply that atlas production happened in pure isolation. Quite on the contrary interregional and international contacts evolved out of the printers’ and dealers’ networks and made the different atlases available on Europe’s main cartographical markets. In 1570 Ortelius’ “Theatrum Orbis Terrarum” had been spotted in Rome. When two years later, it was being sold in an as important bookseller’s shop as Tramezzino’s, it was doing rather well.
Besides providing knowledge on the origin and distribution of the genre, networks are a clue in our understanding of the composition of individual atlases like the KOKW-atlas (Sint-Niklaas, Society of Antiquaries of the Land van Waas).
Generally spoken, two aspects cannot be emphasized enough: firstly, the Italian atlas was conceived as a single bespoke collection of separate printed maps, not as a book whose contents were the same for each buyer, and secondly, composite atlases were a product of the Italian print market. Whether these atlases received their binding at the time of purchase or rather later, maybe even in the next centuries, may therefore be difficult to determine.
Participants at the Rome conference witnessed how developing cartographical knowledge is an on-going process. A copy of the most rare newsprint in the KOKW-atlas, the “Rotta (route) de Hughnoti”, which –as the title mentions - relates to the Huguenots or French protestants, was as well present at the Bibliotheca Centrale and in a private collection.
Cartographical analysis remains often limited to visualisation, while, on the other hand, privile... more Cartographical analysis remains often limited to visualisation, while, on the other hand, privileging the use of written text sources makes historians stick with traditional text analysis or ‘close reading’ as their favourite methodology. However, a close navigating between traditional literary analysis and spatial methodologies, here defined as ‘close mapping’ can add new evidence, hypotheses and arguments to the historical interpretation.
The project NOMOB (A Research Map on Noblemen’s mobility in the Austrian Netherlands) at Ghent University used ‘close mapping’ as a method to study the mobility of the 18th century cartographer Joseph de Ferraris and to reconstruct his itineraries. Textual and cartographic analysis from his private correspondence and maps were combined by using an itinerary research map with separate map layers: a current topographic map (OSM), areal maps, the historical survey maps of the Habsburg Empire (HL), a semantic vector layer (SL) with data from textual analysis and finally a landscape vector layer with the suggested path roads (LL). NOMOB’s close mapping is a low-cost method mainly intended for the single working researcher without GIS expertise.
Spatial analysis has enabled historians to present historical data in new ways. Yet, the so-calle... more Spatial analysis has enabled historians to present historical data in new ways. Yet, the so-called spatial turn is a difficult dance. Cartographical structuring does not often respond in an appropriate way to the demands of historical criticism while the full potential of modern cartography is not applied to new historical research questions. As a consequence the use of spatial methodologies in historical research confirms or ‘proves’ the research conclusions of the historians, but goes seldom beyond the already known, nor does it provide new research results.
The research project NOMOB (Noblemen’s mobility in the Austrian Netherlands) at Ghent University tries to fill the gap by constructing an all-in-one research map that combines spatial research techniques with textual analysis.
The aim is to acquire knowledge on mobility and social network of the cartographer Joseph de Ferraris during his travels in 1777 and 1778. Ferraris 's case combines a limited dataset with several research questions, necessary for development of cartographical research tools. His map of the Austrian Netherlands is well known, but his private correspondence is far less studied. Yet his frequent letters provide detailed information on his itineraries, transport facilities, lodging and postal service, as well as on his social contacts. They actually enable us to answer a far more important meta-question: does processing geographical and social data in a research map result in data that were otherwise not possible to achieve? Is the map doing the research, or is it, once again, just an instrument to visualise research results?
To answer this question the geographical dataset constructed from the letters is mapped on a current topographic map after a retrogressive interpretation of the landscape in combination with historical map analysis. This map offers the advantage of being accurate, whereas the geometric reliability of older maps is questionable at best. Today’s landscape shows partially the same topographical characteristics of a few centuries ago. Canals, main roads, churches etc. are on the same spot since the moment they have been constructed. They function as fixed elements in the landscape environment and supply the historical information with additional data that enable the reconstruction of Ferraris ‘s itinerary. For the further development two major problems can be expected. Firstly, how does a research map deal with the vagueness of both textual and cartographical data? Secondly, since Ferraris 's social contacts are as mobile as he is, 'change' becomes an important feature of both geographical place and social network.
L'œuvre de Mercator, qui s’inscrit dans une tradition de la connaissance géographique héritée de ... more L'œuvre de Mercator, qui s’inscrit dans une tradition de la connaissance géographique héritée de l’Antiquité et du Moyen-Âge, marque le passage vers une nouvelle cartographie. Son influence est considérable du 17e siècle à nos jours. Mercator se situe au début de la grande révolution cartographique, à une époque où l’approfondissement de la représentation du monde est remplacé par son extension : la vision monde s’agrandit.
Au-delà de son Atlas, Mercator doit sa renommée à sa projection du monde révolutionnaire qui sert encore aujourd’hui dans diverses applications web.
Although the implications of mobility and long-distance connections on human relations assume gre... more Although the implications of mobility and long-distance connections on human relations assume greater significance in the 21st century, the role of transport in social interaction is a very understudied topic in contemporary studies, and it is even more in history. The growing awareness that social capital is not a local area-based phenomenon relates seemingly more to the present-day hyper-connected world than to past societies.
However, eighteenth century networks provide many examples of the concerted action between spatial distance and compensating proximities. One of them is the network of
Joseph de Ferraris (1726-1814).
Mobility and networking are among the main concerns of Ferraris, an eighteenth century cartographer under whose guidance the artillery corps of the Austrian Netherlands carried
out a mapping project of the territory. The resulting large scaled map, the “Carte de Cabinet”, is considered a milestone in the history of Belgian cartography. At the moment of its presentation to the Viennese Court in December 1777, a commercial counterpart was still being set up. This last one, the “Carte Marchande”, was brought to an end during Joseph de Ferraris ‘s assistance in the War of the Bavarian Succession. The well regulated warfare of this old-style Cabinet War (Kabinettskriege) needed to prevent the Austrian claim on the Electorate of Bavaria.
Ferraris ’s “military service” interfered with his cartographic ambitions in a way that his share of the work was reduced to mere financial and long-distance management, calling
on his wife, Henriette d’Ursel, to coordinate the Brussels ’s production unit. Soon after they had married in 1776 their relationship became characterized by spatial distance and
repeated separation only to be overcome by mutual mobility and many, many love letters.
This private correspondence provides an overview of the large aristocratic network of family, friends and acquaintances of the Ferraris couple. Ferraris ’s social network is distributed allover Europe and illustrates the mobility of Austrian nobility.
Studies in economic geography recently emphasized the importance of both spatial proximity and alternative types of proximity for knowledge networks. From the cartographer’s life and letters it becomes clear that spatial distance does not have to be a limiting factor, it can create new possibilities to enlarge and strengthen the bonds of a social network. As such the lack of spatial proximity is compensated by social proximity
that appeared to be of more value to the Ferraris ‘s. Especially the neighborhood of the Viennese court enables them to access high financial and political support.
We will make use of a research map based upon modern cartographical techniques and a retrogressive approach to question in different map layers the mobility of Ferraris and the
geographical distribution of his social network. The social actors have indeed residences in different geographical areas, some of them travel frequently and their residences determine partially Ferraris ’s mobility.
Since a few decades historical cartographical studies started to emphasize the social and spatial... more Since a few decades historical cartographical studies started to emphasize the social and spatial context of the map maker. The fact that the so-called “cartographer” could fulfill different roles in map production, is less discussed. Whom we now consider a cartographer, may have been entitled by his contemporaries as cosmographer, land surveyor, designer, printer, military man or manager. If any map maker would actually have designed, drawn, or printed a map is a disputable fact.
The life and pursuits of the Austrian general Joseph de Ferraris (1726-1814) shows in particular the complex role of the eighteenth century cartographer. Under Ferraris ’s guidance the artillery corps of the Austrian Netherlands carried out a mapping project of the territory between 1770 and 1777. The resulting large scale map is considered a milestone in the history of Belgian cartography.
We will use Ferraris ‘s maps and private correspondence to explain his cartographic innovations as regards the eighteenth century social, cultural and spatial context. Eighteenth century cartographic theories about maps, projection and land surveying as discussed in Diderot ’s Encyclopédie were indeed not easily put in practice. Good ideas –not necessarily one’s own- were in need of an excellent team, financial aids, intense networking, high mobility and ... a devoted wife to accomplish a mapping project.
Maps, marriage and mobility are among the main concerns of Joseph de Ferraris (1726-1814), an eig... more Maps, marriage and mobility are among the main concerns of Joseph de Ferraris (1726-1814), an eighteenth century cartographer under whose guidance the artillery corps of the Austrian Netherlands carried out a mapping project of the territory.
The resulting large scaled map, the “Carte de Cabinet”, is considered a milestone in the history of Belgian cartography.
At the moment of its presentation to the Viennese Court in December 1777, a commercial counterpart was still being set up. This last one, the “Carte Marchande”, was brought to an end during Joseph de Ferraris ‘s assistance in the War of the Bavarian Succession. The well-regulated warfare of this old-style Cabinet War (Kabinettskriege) needed to prevent the Austrian claim on the Electorate of Bavaria.
Ferraris ’s “military service” interfered with his cartographic ambitions in a way that his share of the work was reduced to mere financial and long-distance management, calling on his wife, Henriette d’Ursel, to coordinate the Brussels ’s production unit.
From their intense private correspondence in 1778, it is however clear that Ferraris ’s service to the Imperial Court contributed highly his own interests. His travels and social contacts, as described in the letters, indicate how the large aristocratic network of family, friends and acquaintances helped to construct and maintain his private, social and professional life.
We will focus on noblemen with a key role in the correspondence and their spatial distribution, emphasizing as such the geographical mobility of this relatively new noble couple. Soon after they had married in 1776 their relationship became characterized by spatial distance and repeated separation only to be overcome by mutual mobility and many, many love letters.
Dissemination of Cartographic Knowledge, 2017
The project STREAM (Spatio-Temporal Research Infrastructure for Early Modern Flanders and Brabant... more The project STREAM (Spatio-Temporal Research Infrastructure for Early Modern Flanders and Brabant) aims to create a research infrastructure that will allow spatio-temporal analyses in order to improve our understanding of the demographic, social and economic changes that occurred in Flanders and Brabant (Belgium) between 1550 and 1800. The Carte de Cabinet of count Joseph de Ferraris (1771–1778) offers information on various subjects for that time period and is considered one of the most important products of Belgian cartographic history. Hence this historical map was used as the main source document to develop a vectorial geographical database that constitutes an important step towards the creation of a research infrastructure. To build this geographical database a retrogressive method was used in order to interpret the historical map and its related data in an absolute geographical reference system, which the Carte de Cabinet lacks. Since STREAM results from a collaboration between researchers from different disciplines a specific user-oriented editing platform was developed to support the different actors. This platform allows the digitisation of the historical road network in a geographic reference system based on the current road network by means of a slider, a shift tool and an editing tool. Initial analyses have confirmed the strong geometric distortions of the Carte de Cabinet but also the multiple possibilities for spatio(-temporal) research when combining the information of the Carte de Cabinet with cartographic analyses of other cartographic documents.
Cartographical analysis remains often limited to visualisation, while, on the other hand, privile... more Cartographical analysis remains often limited to visualisation, while, on the other hand, privileging the use of written text sources makes historians stick with traditional text analysis or ‘close reading’ as their favourite methodology. However, a close navigating between traditional literary analysis and spatial methodologies, here defined as ‘close mapping’ can add new evidence, hypotheses and arguments to the historical interpretation. The project NOMOB (A Research Map on Noblemen’s mobility in the Austrian Netherlands) at Ghent University used ‘close mapping’ as a method to study the mobility of the 18th century cartographer Joseph de Ferraris and to reconstruct his itineraries. Textual and cartographic analysis from his private correspondence and maps were combined by using an itinerary research map with separate map layers: a current topographic map (OSM), areal maps, the historical survey maps of the Habsburg Empire (HL), a semantic vector layer (SL) with data from textual analysis and finally a landscape vector layer with the suggested path roads (LL). NOMOB’s close mapping is a low-cost method mainly intended for the single working researcher without GIS expertise.
Handelingen der Maatschappij voor Geschiedenis en Oudheidkunde te Gent, 2011
Ad edification anime en libellum istum de diversorum auctorum floribus (Gent, Universiteitsbiblio... more Ad edification anime en libellum istum de diversorum auctorum floribus (Gent, Universiteitsbibliotheek, Ms. 92, f. 3v). 17 'Als ik iets vertel dat niet door een grotere autoriteit kan bevestigd worden, hoewel ik het door de rede lijk aan te tonen, dan moet het aanvaard worden met geen andere zekerheid dan dat het voorlopig zo schijnt te zijn, totdat God mij ooit iets beter openbaart' (Videlicet ut, si quid dixero quod maior non confirmet auctoritas-quamvis illud ratione probare videar-, non alia certitudine accipiatur, nisi quia interim ita mihi videtur, donec deus mihi melius aliquo modo revelet).
Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 2011
A selection of illuminations of the 12th century manuscript Liber Floridus was analysed with Rama... more A selection of illuminations of the 12th century manuscript Liber Floridus was analysed with Raman spectroscopy (in situ and laboratory measurements), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-fluorescence photography and infrared reflectography (IRR). The aim of this study is to determine the pigments used, in order to search for anachronisms. Using a combination of Raman spectroscopy (molecular information) and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (elemental information) following pigments could be identified: ultramarine (Na 8-10 Al 6 Si 6 O 24 S 2-4), azurite (2CuCO 3 •Cu(OH) 2), caput mortuum (Fe 2 O 3), vermilion (HgS), orpiment (As 2 S 3) and lead white (2PbCO 3 •Pb(OH) 2). Moreover, two synthetic red pigments, PR4 and PR176, and a degradation product, gypsum (CaSO 4 •2H 2 O), were present in the manuscript. To establish the origin of the modern materials UV-fluorescence photography was used. Infrared reflectography (IRR) was applied to visualise the underdrawing of the investigated folios.
Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 2011
A selection of illuminations of the 12th century manuscript Liber Floridus was analysed with Rama... more A selection of illuminations of the 12th century manuscript Liber Floridus was analysed with Raman spectroscopy (in situ and laboratory measurements), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, UV-fluorescence photography and infrared reflectography (IRR). The aim of this study is to determine the pigments used, in order to search for anachronisms. Using a combination of Raman spectroscopy (molecular information) and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (elemental information) following pigments could be identified: ultramarine (Na 8-10 Al 6 Si 6 O 24 S 2-4 ), azurite (2CuCO 3 ·Cu(OH) 2 ), caput mortuum (Fe 2 O 3 ), vermilion (HgS), orpiment (As 2 S 3 ) and lead white (2PbCO 3 ·Pb(OH) 2 ). Moreover, two synthetic red pigments, PR4 and PR176, and a degradation product, gypsum (CaSO 4 ·2H 2 O), were present in the manuscript. To establish the origin of the modern materials UV-fluorescence photography was used. Infrared reflectography (IRR) was applied to visualise the underdrawing of the investigated folios.
The Cartographic Journal, Nov 22, 2013
ABSTRACT At the end of the eighteenth century, a large-scale map of the Austrian Netherlands and ... more ABSTRACT At the end of the eighteenth century, a large-scale map of the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liege was manufactured, covering more or less the current territory of Belgium. The work for this Carte de Cabinet was carried out by artillerists under the guidance of count Joseph de Ferraris, who was commissioned for the task by the Habsburg government. At the time that the map was designed, no modern legend was included. This paper tries to fill that gap by presenting a legend that was constructed more systematically than any of its predecessors. It is based on the structure of the legend of the Topographic Map of Belgium and the CORINE land cover map, making it an easy-to-use tool for modern researchers. The problems encountered during the development of the legend are described, and the link between the Carte de Cabinet and eighteenth-century French cartography as well as with cartographic manuals is also discussed.
Au milieu du monde : Namur : cartes et plans 16e-21e siècle, 2015
The Cartographic Journal, 2012
At the end of the eighteenth century, a large-scale map of the Austrian Netherlands and the Princ... more At the end of the eighteenth century, a large-scale map of the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège was manufactured, covering more or less the current territory of Belgium. The work for this Carte de Cabinet was carried out by artillerists under the guidance of count Joseph de Ferraris, who was commissioned for the task by the Habsburg government. At the time that the map was designed, no modern legend was included. This paper tries to fill that gap by presenting a legend that was constructed more systematically than any of its predecessors. It is based on the structure of the legend of the Topographic Map of Belgium and the CORINE land cover map, making it an easy-to-use tool for modern researchers. The problems encountered during the development of the legend are described, and the link between the Carte de Cabinet and eighteenth-century French cartography as well as with cartographic manuals is also discussed.
De originaliteit van een compilator. Wereldkaarten in het Liber Floridus van Lambertus van Sint-O... more De originaliteit van een compilator. Wereldkaarten in het Liber Floridus van Lambertus van Sint-Omaars, HMGOG LXV (2011), pp. 5-40.(with Ph. De Maeyer)
Continuïteit en vernieuwing: het verleden en de cartografie, Hermes 18/55 (2014), pp. 42-46.