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The Kingdom of Love, a fantasy map
"Das Reich der Liebe. Zweyter Landchartensatz-Versuch.
Aus Breitkopfs Buchdr. in Leipzig, 1777."
Printed with mobile printing types, a new technique
invented 1776/77, and originally hand-coloured.
Made by the typographer Johann Gottlob Immanuel
Breitkopf, the inventor of this new technique, Leipzig
1777. 18 x 23,5 cm.
Paper with a few creases, otherwise perfect condition
and impression.
Very rare map for the collector of curiosities
or for a special wedding present.
sold
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| A highly imaginative and humorous map of the
Kingdom of Love ('Das Reich der Liebe') with the
Lands of Youth, of Happy Love and Desire, but also
of Silence, of Unhappy Love or the Land of the 'Confirmed
Bachelor'. With the Sea of Desparation, the River
of Tears, or the Rivers of Desire and Happiness
and with many villages and towns like the Town of
Dreams or of Joy and with several mountains like
the Mountain of Consent. Small cartouche with the
title, town and date at lower right and with a compass
rose at lower left.
Breitkopf, Johann Gottlob Immanuel (1719-1794),
publisher of Leipzig
Breitkopf, son of a publisher and printer, studied
history and languages at the university of Leipzig
from 1737 to 1740. 1745 he joined the company of
his father. His special interest in typography was
quite stimulating for the publishing house. About
1750 he created a new type, the Breitkopf Gothic
Type, which became the best and mostly used Gothic
type of his time. 1754 he introduced a new technique
to print notes with mobile types, which improved
the quality of printed music decisively. Through
this invention he was able to bind all important
composers of his time to his publishing house, which
he managed from 1762 until 1794 and which is today
the world-oldest music publishing house (Breitkopf
& Härtel, Leipzig).
From 1776 he intensively
worked on a new technique to make maps with mobile
printing types. 1777 he published the first map,
which was printed with the new technique - a map
of the surroundings of Leipzig. An accompaning text
gives a description how to make maps with this new
technique, which he later also used for the printing
of portraits and even Chinese characters. For a
second proof of the newly invented process he created
a highly imaginative and humorous map of the Kingdom
of Love ('Das Reich der Liebe').
Beside he dealt
with the printing of playing cards, wallpapers and
posters. From 1780 he published the first specialist
journal for booksellers in Germany, the 'Magazin
für Kunst- und Buchhandel'. As a writer he published
several books about printing, e.g. "Über die
Geschichte der Erfindung der Buchdruckerkunst"
(1779) or "Über Buchdruckerey und Buchhandel
in Leipzig (1793, facsimile edition 1964).
Ref.: Gerald Sammet. Der vermessene Planet, Bildatlas
zur Geschichte der Kartographie, Hamburg 1990, Fig.
p 217.
Horst Riedel. Stadtlexikon Leipzig. Pro
Leipzig Verlag, Leipzig 2005, pp 66/67.
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