Arnoldus Montanus

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The unknown New World

Arnold Montanus , actually Arnold van den Berghe (* 1625 in Amsterdam , † 1683 in Schoonhoven ) was a Dutch theologian and historian . In addition to extensive editorial work, he has written numerous historical treatises dealing with the peoples and culture of the New World and the overseas activities of the Dutch. Although he never left Europe himself, his books, translated into many languages, had a great influence on the European perception of the area concerned. De Nieuwe en Onbekende Weereld (The Unknown New World) and Gedenkwardige Gesantschappen der Oost-Indische Maatschappy in′t Vereenigde Nederland (Memorable Embassies of the East Indian Society in the United Netherlands) are his best-known writings.

Life

Montanus was born into an émigré family from Vlissingen in the southern Netherlands who had settled in Amsterdam. His father Petrus Montanus (Pieter van den Berghe) had taught ancient languages at the Latin School in Middelburg from 1600 to 1602 before he moved to Amsterdam because of the poor pay and found a job at the Latijnse School aan de Nieuwezijds . He was very active as both translator and editor. In 1612 he published Guiccardini's description of the Netherlands in Dutch, in 1614 translated Giovanni Gioviano Pontano's ( Pontanus ) description of the trading city of Amsterdam from Latin, and in 1621 published Mercator's Cosmographicae Meditationes . The additions to the text of the Hondius edition of Mercator's great atlas are probably also from his pen.

His son Arnold followed his father's example. After studying theology at the University of Leiden, he worked as a pastor in Schellingwoude from 1653 and in Schoonhoven from 1667 . Here he also became principal of the Latin school . At the same time he published an impressive number of books. His passion was travel reports on distant countries. Arnold Montanus was completely shaped by the Golden Age , a time of economic and cultural prosperity in the Netherlands, which brought the country and also the hometown power to previously unknown prosperity. These successes were largely based on the activities of the Netherlands as a sea power and overseas trade (see also: Dutch colonies ).

plant

"America"

Montanus wrote works on church history, theology, the history of the Netherlands and the peoples and cultures of the New World. His broad interests were typical of the intellectual heyday of the Netherlands during the Golden Age. But his passion was culture.

Montanus bought seafarers and employees of the Dutch East India Company ( Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie , VOC) information and travel reports, and published them in 1669 in the publishing house of Jacob van Meurs (1619-1680, the publishing house existed from 1651 to 1680) in Dutch and German under the title Gedenkwardige Gesantschappen der Oost-Indische Maatschappy in′t Vereenigde Nederland aen de Kaisaren van Japan ("Worthy embassies of the East Indian Society in the United Netherlands to different Keyser of Japan"). The 454-page richly illustrated work describes a series of trips by the leaders (opperhoofden) of the Dutch trading post Dejima (Nagasaki) to the court of the Shogun in Edo.

"Dejima Island in Nagasaki (1669)"

The collection was translated into English in 1670, and into French in 1680. It soon became a reference work for Japan and was not replaced by Engelbert Kaempfer's History of Japan until 1728 .

The detailed descriptions come from Iberian mission sources, such as information from the Jesuit Giovanni Pietro Maffei and documents from the East India Company. Montanus supplemented them with - sometimes lengthy - historical and cultural excursions and reflections on religious customs, ceremonies and customs, the origin of earthquakes and much more. It covers the history of discovery, geography, ethnology, Japanese proselytizing and events at the time of the Sengokujidai as well as the East India trade. The book also contains one of the few early authentic Japanese fragments . The work is entertaining and at the same time one of the first attempts to place Japan in the context of world history.

The majority of the illustrations were made by Dutch engravers based on the descriptions in the text. Many of them were accordingly grotesque. There is no mistaking tendencies towards Sinization. However, there are also authentic and valuable images such as those of Dejima Island and the Osaka Castle . In addition, if you remove the accessories from the text, you are left with largely accurate descriptions. Nevertheless, some explanations are quite adventurous to read:

"Idol house of Amida" in Edo (from Arnoldus Montanus: "Denckworthige Gesandtschafften", p. 107)
“Amida is sitting on a horse of seven; One of these heads should indicate a thousand centuries. The idol himself has a dog's head / with long overhanging ears. His hands hold a golden ring or bow / he bites into it with his dog's snout. But how horrible he looks otherwise / so delicious is his dress again: which consists of vain gold / pearls / and demants. At the foot of the Götzenhöhe you can read a Japanese script / which explains the meaning of this misshapen dog idol. "
“The way to fish is different. Sometimes they use special tools / so that they shoot the fish under the water. These tools are tied to a thin cord / twisted from kapok. When the fish is hit; so they give in as long as the line can reach. "

In 2002, Reinier H. Hesselink proved that Montanus had used four unpublished Japanese manuscripts by VOC employees for this book. These were apparently sold to Montanus and van Meurs about ten years before the "Gedenkwaerdige Gesantschappen" was published.

In 1673 Montanus' work De Nieuwe en Onbekende Weereld (The New and Unknown World) appeared, which was first published by the Dutch doctor and historian Olfert Dapper (Amsterdam) and later by John Ogilby (Amsterdam). This work is also a treasure trove for materials on America. It contains maps of Virginia, Carolina, New England, America (with California as an island), Bermuda, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Paraguay. The copperplate engravings include an early view of New York, and also views of Mexico, Carolina, Terceira, Puerto Rico (Porto Rico), Santo Domingo, Havana, St. Augustine / Florida, St. Martin, Campeche, Acapulco, Cartagena, Trujillo in Honduras, Callao de Lima, Bay de Todos os Sanctus in Bahia / Brazil, San Salvador, Tamaraca, Olinda de Phernambuco and Mauritsstaad (Mauritiopolis).

Montanu's "Legends worthy of attention" were among others in Engelbert Kämper's library .

Remarks

  1. ↑ Representation of the "guhten Amida" in "Denckworthige Gesandtschafften", p. 107.
  2. ↑ From "Memorable Ambassadors", p. 51.

Works

  • Gedenkwaerdige Gesantschappen of the Oost-Indian Maetschappy in't Vereenigde Nederland, aen de Kaisaren wan Japan:: vervatende wonderlyke voorvallen op de togt the Nederlandtsche Gesantschappen: beschryving van de dorpen, sterkten, steden, landtschappen, tempels, gods-diensten, dragten, gebouwen , dieren, washed, bergen, fonteinen, vereeuwde en nieuwe oorlogs-daaden of the Japanders [...] Drinks uit de Geschriften en Reisaentekeninze of the individual journeymen, door Arnoldus Montanus. t'Amsterdam. By Jacob Meurs [...] 1669.
  • Noteworthy embassies of the East Indian Society in the United Netherlands / to different Keysers from Japan: Not only to find in them the strange baptisms on the Reyse of the Dutch envoys; but also a description of the villages / fortresses / cities / landscapes / idolatry / idolatry / costumes / haylofts / animals / plants / mountains / wells / as well as the old and modern war deeds of the Japanese; with a large number of copper pieces / in Japan even torn off / decorated; drawn from the writings and Reyse directories of envoys / by Arnoldus Montanus. Bey Jacob Meurs booksellers and copper stabbers / on Keysersgracht / not far from the Westerkirche / in the city of Meurs / 1670. (German edition of the Gedenkwaerdige Gesantschappen , digitized in the University and State Library of Saxony-Anhalt )
  • Atlas Japannensis: being remarkable addresses by way of embassy from the East-India Company of the United Provinces to the Emperor of Japan / collected out of their several writings and journals by Arnoldus Montanus; English'd and adorn'd with above a hundred several sculptures by John Ogilby , London: Printed by Tho. Johnson for the author, MDCLXX [1670] (English edition of the Gedenkwaerdige Gesantschappen )
  • De nieuwe en onbekende weereld, of, Beschryving van America en 't zuid-land: vervaetende d'oorsprong der Americaenen en zuid-landers, Gedenkwaerdige togten derwaerds, occasions of the vaste coasts, islands, cities, sterkten, villages, temples, mountains fonteinen, stroomen, huisen, de natuur van beesten, boomen, planten en vreemde gewasschen, Gods-dienst en zeden, wonderlijke voorvallen, vereeuwde en nieuwe oorloogen: verciert met af-beeldsels na 't leven made in America . T 'Amsterdam: By Jacob Meurs boek-verkooper en plaet-snyder [...] Anno MDCLXXI [1671].
  • Atlas Chinensis: being a second part of A relation of remarkable passages in two embassies from the East-India Company of the United Provinces to the vice-roy Singlamong and General Taising Lipovi and to Konchi, Emperor of China and East-Tartary: with a relation of the Netherlanders assisting the Tartar against Coxinga and the Chinese fleet, who till then were masters of the sea: and a more exact geographical description than formerly both of the whole empire of China in general and in particular of every of the fifteen provinces . London: Printed by Tho. Johnson for the author [...] MDCLXXI [1671]
  • The unknown New World or description of the world-part America, and the South-Country: Inside from the prominence of the Americans and the Sudden / and from the memorable Reysen of the Europeans afterwards; as well as from the same fortress countries, islands / cities / fortresses / villages / the most prominent buildings / mountains / wells / rivers / and species of animals / trees / perennials / and other foreign plants; as well as from the worship and idolatry / customs / languages ​​/ costumes / strange burials and so probably old as new wars / is dealt with in detail. Adorned through and through with many illustrations drawn from life in America. / Through Dr. OD [Olfert Dapper. Johann Christoph Beer]. At Amsterdam: Bey Jacob von Meurs, on the Keysersgraft, in the city of Meurs, 1673.
  • Ambassades mémorables de la Compagnie des Indes orientales des Provinces Unies, vers les empereurs du Japon . A Amsterdam, chés Jacob De Meurs, merchand libraire. M.DC.LXXX. [1680] (French edition of the Gedenkwaerdige Gesantschappen )

literature

  • Reinier H. Hesselink: Memorable Embassies: the secret history of Arnoldus Montanus' Gedenkwaerdige Gesantschappen. In: Quaerendo. Vol. 32, No. 1/2, May 2002, ISSN  0014-9527 , pp. 99-123.
  • Peter Rietbergen : Japan Verwoord. Nihon Door Nederlands Ogen, 1600-1799. Hotei Publishing, Amsterdam 2003, ISBN 90-74822-54-1 .

Web links

Commons : Arnoldus Montanus  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Montanus, Arnoldus
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Montanus, Arnold; van den Berghe, Arnold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch theologian and philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH 1625
PLACE OF BIRTH Amsterdam
DATE OF DEATH 1683
Place of death Schoonhoven