Deák Antal András: A Duna fölfedezése
Tartalom - III.A DANUBIUS PANNONICO-MYSICUS, 1726
T II E DISCOVERY OF THE DANUBE A few months later, in the spring of 1697, Marsigli was looking for people who could help in the preparation of his book. 156 He asked Eimmart the following questions: 1. Are there experts in Nürnberg who could engrave the figures in the book on copperplate? Answer: There are. 2. Would these artists be willing to move to Vienna to work there on the book? The answer was, after some apologies: No. 3. How much would they ask for their work? Answer: Less than the French. 4. Would there be an experienced expert among them who could be charged with the supervision of the work? The answer (put simply): Yes, Eimmart himself. The people from Nürnberg did not send word until 1700. 15 7 Sturm saw the text of the Produmus 15 8 at Eimmart's and heard that only the engraving of a few figures was missing. 15 9 Could this have been Eimmart's prototypic work? Namely, in the summer of the next year, he had already signed a bill concerning a large sum, since, as he wrote, he would soon finish the Antiquities volume, volume II of the Danube monograph concerning Roman antiquities. 160 He had already engraved in copperplate, Eimmar wrote, two of the previously sent pictures of forts and ruins in Hungary, and two more remained. As soon as he finished them, he would start to work on the volume about birds. 16 1 Nevertheless, it can also be read from Eimmart's letters written in August and September that the work did not proceed smoothly. The greatest problems were financial in character. For example, he could not engrave the picture of the famous Römerschatz 16 2 on copper because he did not have money. Some more drawings arrived meant for the Roman antiquities volume as well, and, in parallel with the volume of the birds, he also engraved insects on copper. By September 24 he had completed the engraving of 54 insects. 16 3 The letter contained two more interesting pieces of information. First, it revealed that Marsigli had met Clara , Eimmart's daughter, in Nürnberg, who was also a renowned astronomer. Since then he had sent her a fox pelt, and second, Joh. Heinrich Müller, the distinguished professor of mathematics and physics at the University of Altdorf and Eimmart's daughter's husband, was already a member of the team. 16 5 Eimmart happily replied in November of the same year that he had received the 100 florenas for the engraving of the insects. The letter implies that Marsigli found Eimmart's work expensive. And while excusing himself for the expenses incurred when working on the Birds volume, he conveyed the impression that he himself had engraved the volume of Fishes as well: If you consider that he had engraved 41 copperplates for the fish volume, he wrote, he had much more work with the birds, especially because they had to be reduced to a certain size. Sums were also mentioned: 71 plates had cost 355 florenas, so if he wanted to make a profit on the work, he had to ask 500 florenas. The name of another eminent collaborator also appeared: August Christian Fleischmann engraved the legends for the figures. I have found a copy of a contract dated to about a year later among Marsigli's manuscripts. In this contract, Eimmart undertook to prepare the Geography volume as well, except for the legends. For this work he would get 650 florenas including the price of the copperplates. 16 6 I will quote from the contract written in German but translated here: 15 6 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 79. pp. 89-90. Nürnberg, May 10, 1697. 15 7 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 80. C. p. 8. Joh. Christoph Sturm's (Sturmius) letter to Marsigli. Altdorf, September 3, 1700. 1 5 8 The promotion of the Danube monograph. 1 5 1 This message suggests that Eimmart engraved the illustrations for the Prodromus. 16 0 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 79. p. 203. Nürnberg, 23 June 1701. p. 204. July 9, 1701, and ibid. July 23. BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 79. p. 205. Nürnberg, July 23, 1701. 162 p ver sj nce t archaeologists have been unable to agree on the origin and function of the cited Roman rampart. 16 3 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 79. II. Nürnberg, September 24, 1701. Eimmart's letter to Marsigli. 16 4 Doppelmayer: Historische Nachricht von den Nürnbergischen Mathematicis und Künstlern. Nürnberg, In Verlegung Peter Conrad Monaths, 1730. 16 5 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 79. Nürnberg, 1 November 1701. 16 6 BUB Mss di Marsigli Vol. 82. pp. 52-53. Joh. Chr. Müller; Nürnberg, January 6, 1702. 121
