1720 Ottens Map of Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza

This is a superbly detailed map of the Balearic Islands by Renard and Josua Ottens, in what appears to be a scarce early state, as early as 1720. The map is oriented to the north, and includes the major islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera as well as the smaller Cabrera, Dragonera, and Monte Colibre. Mallorca and Menorca, in particular, are superbly detailed. All the major islands' terrain is richly and expertly engraved, illustrating topography, forests, and cultivated areas pictorially. Roads, cities, salt flats, and fortifications are depicted. Anchorages are indicated, in several cases with depth soundings. The elegant, spare cartouche features a brief history of the rulers of the islands, up to the English capture and occupation of Menorca in 1708.

The Sources

The detail of both Mallorca and Menorca is clearly derived from the separate maps of Mallorca and Minorca produced in and around 1710 by Johannes van Keulen, and appearing in his Zee Fakkel. Indeed, the Ottens map not only reproduces Van Keulen's geographical treatment of Mallorca, but also includes a Latin translation of the historical gloss on the Balearides that appears on the Van Keulen. The Van Keulen Mallorca, however, was derived from a 1683 map engraved by the Mallorcan soldier and scholar Vicente Mut i Armengol (1614–1687,) which appears to have been the first map of that island produced by someone who lived there. Ottens also appears to have had direct knowledge of the Mut map independently of Van Keulen, as well: in the title, Ottens names the sources which are listed by Mut on his 1683 map, but do not appear on Van Keulen's work.

Broader Scope

The Ottens is not a rote copy of the Van Keulen. While the information for Mallorca is clearly sourced from the Van Keulen map of that island, Ottens' map includes both Ibiza and Menorca. The latter drawn from the separate Van Keulen map of the island. We are not aware of the precursor map for Ottens' Ibiza, however.

The evidence suggests that Ottens not only had awareness of the Van Keulen maps, but also appears to have been aware of Mut's original. This, alongside the very similar engraving style of both the Van Keulen precursor maps to the present work, suggests that the elder Ottens may in fact have engraved the Van Keulen charts. Ottens is on record having engraved works for De Wit and would have been available to do the jobs in Amsterdam, but his imprint does not appear. Beyond the obvious similarities of the works, we are left to speculate.

Publication History and Census

It is not at all clear precisely when the present map was engraved. It has been catalogued with the wildly imprecise dates of 1725-1750. Ottens had no formal atlas, and so the usual methods of dating such maps are denied us. The map lacks a privilege, which suggests an earlier date: we begin to see the Ottens privilege added to maps in and around 1725. We are aware of two states of this map, the latter of which includes an extensive historical gloss drawing heavily on classical scholars, including Strabo and Mela. Our example lacks the gloss, and thus would appear to be the earliest known state of the map. It also appears to be the scarcer of the two.