Mapping apart together - Les cartes des artistes-cartographes à Bruges, 1557-1572 des œuvres isolées ou collaboratives?

In the 16th century, Bruges lost its status as the commercial metropolis of the medieval Low Countries to Antwerp. Despite economic and political decline, Bruges retained significance as a diverse hub, attracting visitors, travelers, dignitaries, artists, and scholars. Yet concurrently, urban and regional authorities sought to revitalize the urban economy and enhance political power. This context witnessed the cartographic endeavors of four artists/mapmakers: Jacob van Deventer, Antoon van den Wijngaerde, Marcus Gerards, and Pieter Pourbus. The latter two were residents and familiar with the city, while Van Deventer and Van den Wijngaerde were itinerant mapmakers unfamiliar with local topography. Producing distinct maps for various clients, these four artists/mapmakers seemingly worked independently, yet within a brief span of fifteen years, Bruges was mapped multiple times. Notably, they employed similar techniques, sketched identical landscapes, visited the same locations, and likely encountered the same contacts. Scholars have suggested the possibility of meetings, exchange of sketches, data, and even collaboration, a common practice in contemporary artistic circles. Remarkably, the collective (carto)graphic output of these artists/cartographers in Bruges has not been comprehensively studied or compared. In this article, we compare the existing data in order to uncover potential mutual artistic influences and cartographic exchanges. Did these artists/cartographers have the opportunity to meet, or did they predominantly work alone ? By addressing these questions, we also hope to shed light on the collaborative dynamics and artistic influences within the cartographic community of 16th-century Bruges and beyond.