Johann Conrad Musculus

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eastern Jade Bay with Ober-Ahnesche fields , above = east, hand sketch by JC Musculus, 1645

Johann Conrad Musculus (baptized November 19, 1587; † after 1651 in Oldenburg ) was a German cartographer , surveyor and bookbinder .

The son of the Strasbourg bookbinder Conrad Mauskopf learned his father's craft, led the Latinized version of the name Musculus according to the fashion of the time and settled in Oldenburg. Here he worked as a bookbinder and made maps that are characterized by their artistic standards.

Oldenburg remained neutral in the Thirty Years War and was therefore largely spared from its devastation, a good prerequisite for Musculus' work.

His map of the entire county of Oldenburg , which he drew in 1621, but which was not printed until 1650, was the first map made entirely in Oldenburg. In 1625/26 Musculus created his colorful dike atlas Particular - Outline of the Oldenburg water teych with the damage caused by the force of the water in 1625 with 54 colored dike maps showing the damage from the storm surge of February 1625 . In 1629 he was appointed Count Wallmaster in Oldenburg, responsible for military defenses and the dykes, and made drafts and drawings for fortifications and artillery. From around 1632 to 1649 he created the Groden or Vorwerk Atlas of the County of Oldenburg , a collection of detailed maps of all the count's state estates. He was also called in for surveying work and also continued his bookbinding business. In 1641 he self-published three invoice tables. Despite these diverse activities, he lived in very modest circumstances and was often in financial difficulties, as the count's administration was in arrears with the payment of his salaries. His mapping of the eastern Jade Bay is on the threshold of triangulation .

In 1650 his complete map of the county of Oldenburg was finally printed, see above. He was last mentioned in his office in 1651. The date of his death is not known.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Johann Conrad Musculus: Noua Comitatus Oldenburg ... (1621/1650)
  2. ↑ Lower Saxony cultural heritage: Dike atlas by Johann Conrad Musculus (online)
  3. ↑ Lower Saxony cultural heritage: Groden or Vorwerk atlas of the County of Oldenburg (online)
  4. ↑ Hans Harms: Musculus (mouse head), Johann Conrad. In: Hans Friedl u. a. (Ed.): Biographical manual for the history of the state of Oldenburg. Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5 , p. 503 ( online ).
personal data
SURNAME Musculus, Johann Conrad
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mauskopf, Johann Conrad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German cartographer, surveyor and bookbinder
DATE OF BIRTH baptized November 19, 1587
DATE OF DEATH after 1651
Place of death Oldenburg