Euboea
Euboea enters the space of scholarly study and geography together with the other Greek islands with “Liber Insularum Archipelagi”, a chartographic manuscript by Cr. Buondelmonti (1420). Buondelmonti’s work became a model for the isolaria that followed, in manuscript or in print, down to the early 18th century.
Both B. dalli Sonetti's printed isolario (1485), where maps are accompanied by sonnets on the islands, and B. Bordone's isolario (1547), whose maps are complete with an explanatory text on history and mythology of the island, are influenced by Buondelmonti's pioneering work of the early 15th century. The groundbreaking isolario by G.Fr. Camocio (1574), published in the aftermath of the victory of the Holy League in Lepanto (1571), also influenced later isolaria such as G. Rosaccio's (1598). Both include maps of Euboea and Chalcis. Map of the island, copy of the last one, we find in Sandrart's (1686) edition. Like all similar works, the isolario of Antonio Millo (1582-91) is enriched by engravings already published in contemporary editions. Antonio marks perillous waters on the maps of his isolaria, and uses the place names found in contemporary portolani. In 1572 T. Porcacchi published a very successful isolario, (here the edition of 1620) in which he employed the novel technique of copper engraving. This technique permitted the creation of more detailed and accurate images and a greater concentration of information; it gradually became the technique of choice for all illustrated works, until the early 19th century, when progressively lithography became the most popular technique. In Μ. Boschini’s edition, small beautiful sample of Venetian engraving of the mid-17th century, the maps of Euboea and other islands are accompanied by an explanatory text with historical and geographical information. The isolario of Fr. Piacenza (1688) includes superbly engraved maps and a wealth of material on the Aegean islands, Cyprus and the Peloponnese. The work by J. Lauremberg (1660) includes excellent engravings of maps of ancient Greece. The maps are accompanied by historical and geographical explanatory texts, which testify to the author's deep erudition.
V.M. Coronelli, the founder of the Accademia Cosmografica degli Argonauti in Venice, published several editions illustrated with hundreds of copper engravings, which aimed at exalting Venice's victories during the Ottoman-Venetian war (1684-1687). These editions include view of Chalcis (V.M. Coronelli in 1687) and plans of fortresses, a map of Euboea and a map of Chalcis area (V.M. Coronelli in 1688).
Copies of these drawings, identical or with variations illustrated the reprints or translations of these works, and travel chronicles (B. Randolph, 1689), historical treatises and geographic publications (Ol. Dapper's “Archipel” in 1688). Dapper's work includes a table of ancient coins from the islands. In the same fashion, a similar engraving of a view of Chalcis can be found in the work by B. Randolph (1687). The engravings in the 1708 works by V. M. Coronelli are highly appealing, although most plates repeat subjects already published in earlier editions of the Accademia Cosmografica degli Argonauti.The editions by J. Enderlin include copies of engravings found in earlier or nearly contemporary popular works (1686).The plates in the work by J. Sandrart (1687) show castles and other location, in their majority under Ottoman rule. Several similar works which highlight the victories of the Venetians against the Ottomans in the Sixth Ottoman-Venetian War (1684-1699) were released during the same period. The editions by J. Peeters in the late 17th century (1686 and 1690) also exalt the victories of the Holy League in the Ottoman-Venetian wars. The plates show cities, ports and other locations in Austria, Southeastern Europe, the eastern Mediterranean and places in Asia all the way to India and Saudi Arabia.
In the early 16th century, J.A.M. Adelphus published a chronicle on the Ottoman empire illustrated with wood engravings (1513), among which a view of Chalcis.
Maps of the island and the wider area are included in J.J. Barthélemy's travel narrative and fictional recreation of the ancient world. Barthélemy painted an idyllic panorama of antiquity, accompanied by maps and drawings (reedition of 1832). Maps can also be found in the account by British archaeologist and member of the Dilettante society R.Chandler (1776), in the edition by Danish archaeologist P.Ol. Brönsted (1826) and the travel account by E. Rey (1867).
The Italian artist S. Pomardi (1820) accompanied Edward Dodwell in his archaeological explorations and drew several subjects at the scholar's request. Pomardi's drawings are characterized by clarity and concision. O.M. von Stackelberg's paintings of folk themes (1831) are impressive; the subjects, but also the posture and movement of the figures are quite novel and diverge from the models established at the time. After his journey in Greek lands, at the begining of the 19th century, Stackelberg was able to render historical locations and antiquities in accordance with the emerging tendency of romanticism (1834). The articles, essays and travel accounts collected by R. Walpole (1820), together with the accompanying illustrations, touch on rarely treated subjects and thus constitute valuable sources of information on the antiquities, history and natural environment of each location. The plans and drawings of one of the major works of W. M. Leake (1825, photomechanical reprint 1967) show how meticulously and systematically the spaces and monuments were recorded by the passionate archaeologist and topographer.
After the foundation of the Greek state Euboea attracted many travellers who were staying in Athens. The water colours by J. Skene (1838-45), which diverge from traditional subjects and technique, represent many landscapes of the island. Also, the plates which embellish the chronicle by A. Schweiger Lerchenfeld(1887) depict many original scenes from everyday life (a fair, an inn, threshing). The capacity for insight and keen observation evident throughout Henri Belle's text (1881) equally mark the illustrations of his travel account. The prolific Irish scholar J.P. Mahaffy wrote an account of his tour of Greece (1890), illustrated with exquisite wood engravings. The plates were etched from pencil drawings, which in their turn were based on imaginary representations and photographs.
A characteristic view of Euripus strait is included in “Grèce” (1835) by F.C.H.L. Pouqueville, who also wrote one of the most systematic texts on geomorphology of continental Greece. The same view is reprinted in a contemporary album (Piraeus and Ports). An imaginary recreation of the ancient fortress on Euripus strait is included in the edition by R. Walpole (1818).
Views of landscapes (copper engravings, lithographs and water colours) which render mountains, plains, coasts and the main sights of Euboea are included in the works by Ed. Dodwell (1819), O.M. von Stackelberg (1830), Chr. Wordsworth (1841), Chr.Wordsworth (1882) and Et. Rey (1867), while a characteristic female costume is included in the work by J.S. Bartholdy (1806).
Written by Ioli Vingopoulou