Jean-Frédéric Maximilien de Waldeck (March 16, 1766? – April 30, 1875) was a French antiquarian, cartographer, artist and explorer. He was a man of talent and accomplishment, but his love of self-promotion and refusal to let the truth get in the way of a good story leave some aspects of his life in mystery.
Jean-Frédéric Waldeck
At various times Waldeck said that he was born in Paris, Prague, or Vienna, and at other times claimed to be a German, Austrian or British citizen. He often claimed the title of count and occasionally that of duke or baron, but these cannot be verified.[1]
Waldeck said he had traveled to South Africa at age 19 and thereafter had begun a career in exploration. He claimed to have returned to France and studied art as a student of Jacques-Louis David. He said he had traveled to Egypt with Napoleon's expedition.[1] None of this has been independently verified; indeed most of Waldeck's autobiography before about 1820 (including his given birthdate) is undocumented and his name is absent from records of various early expeditions he claimed to have been on.
Waldeck is remembered primarily for two actions. The first is publishing drawings based on the notorious set of pornographic prints titled I Modi. The second is the exploration of Mexico and the publication of many examples of Maya and Aztec sculpture. Unfortunately, errors in his illustrations fostered misconceptions about Mesoamerican civilizations and contributed to Mayanism.
He was active up until his death, at the claimed age of 109 years 45 days. He supposedly died of a heart attack while eying a beautiful woman near the Champs-Élysées in Paris.[citation needed]
The I Modi drawings are highly pornographic and accompanied sonnets by Pietro Aretino. The original prints were published by the engraver Marcantonio Raimondi in the 16th century based on drawings by Giulio Romano.[2] The publication caused a furor in Rome, and Pope Clement VII ordered that all copies be destroyed. As such, there is no known original printing of I Modi in existence. What has survived is a series of fragments in the British Museum,[3] two copies of a single print, and a woodcut copy from the 16th century. Waldeck claimed to have found a set of tracings of the I Modi prints in a convent near Palenque in Mexico.[citation needed] His story is dubious because there is no such convent. However, we know that he saw the fragments now in the British Museum because the fragments can be matched to his drawings.[citation needed]
Mexican illustrations
The artist carried by a sillero over the Chiapas from Palenque to Ocosingo, Mexico, by Jean-Frédéric Waldeck, c. 1833
Waldeck's first contact with the art of ancient Mesoamerica was when he was hired by the publisher Henry Berthoud to prepare some plates for an 1822 book entitled Description of the Ruins of an Ancient City.[4] This book was an English translation of the 1787 report on Palenque by Antonio del Río which had been commissioned for Charles III of Spain and then sat unpublished in the National Archives of Spain.[1] Waldeck's engravings were much more beautiful and artistic than the original drawings he worked from, and gave the monuments a decidedly Egyptian look, in line with his patron's views that the ancient Mesoamericans were the Lost Tribes of Israel.[citation needed]
In 1825, he was hired as a hydraulic engineer by an English mining company and went to Mexico. He did not last long at this job, and after his failure he explored the Pre-Columbian ruins of the country, living in the ruined Palenque between May 1832 and July 1833. After that, in 1834, he was hired by Lord Kingsborough to travel to Uxmal and make drawings and architectural reconstructions. Some of these were "fanciful in the extreme."[1]
In 1838, Waldeck published Voyage pittoresque et archéologique dans la province d'Yucatan pendant les années 1834 et 1836 (Paris), a volume of illustrations of Mérida, Yucatán and Maya ruins, including those at Uxmal. Dedicated to Lord Kingsborough, this book provided what Waldeck believed was further support for connections between the ancient Maya and ancient Egypt. His illustration of the Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal, for example, makes it look similar Egyptian pyramids. In 1839, he was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society.[5]
Waldeck's illustrations of Palenque were chosen to accompany Monuments anciens du Mexique (Palenque, et autres ruines de l'ancienne civilisation du Mexique) (1866) by Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg. However, just as his earlier illustrations had implied connections between the ancient Maya and ancient Egypt, the ones included with Brasseur de Bourbourg's text invoked the Classical antiquity of ancient Greece and Rome. His illustrations of panels of Maya script in the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque included clear depictions of heads of elephants (now known to be erroneous embellishments). This fueled speculation about contact between the ancient Maya and Asia and the role of the mythical lost continent of Atlantis as a common link between ancient civilizations of the Old and New Worlds.
Waldeck published numerous lithographs of what he had come across. His last set of prints was published in 1866 when he celebrated his centennial.
^Barrell, Tony (30 August 2009). "Rude Britannia: Erotic secrets of the British Museum: The British Museum and British Library have some of the biggest collections of smut in the world including S&M magazines". The Sunday Times.
^Description of the ruins of an ancient city. London: Henry Berthoud. 1822. OL 23387116M.
Baudez, C. F., 1993: Jean-Frédéric Waldeck, peintre: le premier explorateur des ruines mayas. Hazan, Paris.
Brasseur de Bourbourg, É. C., 1866: Monuments anciens de Mexique: Palenqué et autres ruines de l'anc. civilisation du Mexique, Paris. (Illustrated by Waldeck.)
Brunhouse, Robert L., 1973: In Search of the Maya: The First Archaeologists. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque. (One chapter on Waldeck.)
Cline, Howard F., 1947: The Apocryphal Early Career of J. F. de Waldeck, Pioneer Americanist. Acta Americana. Tome V, pp. 278–299.
Del Rio, A., 1822: Report of Antonio Del Rio to Don Jose Estacheria, Brigadier, Governor and Commandant General of the Kingdom of Guatemala, Etc. In Description of the ruins of an ancient city, discovered near Palenque, in the kingdom of Guatemala, pp. 1–21. H. Berthoud and Suttaby Evance and Fox, London. (Illustrated by Waldeck.)
Lawner, L., 1988: I Modi: the sixteen pleasures: an erotic album of the Italian Renaissance:Giulio Romano, Marcantonio Raimondi, Pietro Aretino, and Count Jean-Frederic-Maximilien de Waldeck. Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.
Le Fur, Y., 2006: D'un regard l'autre: histoire des regards européens sur l'Afrique, l'Amérique et l'Océanie. Musée du quai Branly, Paris. (Exhibition catalog that includes paintings by Waldeck.)
Parsons, L. A. and Jay I. Kislak Foundation., 1993: Columbus to Catherwood, 1494-1844 : 350 years of historic book graphics depicting the islands, Indians, and archaeology of the West Indies, Florida, and Mexico. Kislak bibliographic series ; publication 1. Jay I. Kislak Foundation Inc., Miami Lakes, Fla. (Includes book illustrations by Waldeck.)
Smith, Mary Rebecca Darby., 1878: Recollections of two distinguished persons : la Marquise de Boissy and the Count de Waldeck. J.B. Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1878. (Memoir of encounters with Waldeck. Book digitized at Internet Archive.)
Thompson, John Eric, 1927: The Elephant Heads in the Waldeck Manuscripts. Scientific Monthly, No. 25, pp. 392–398. New York.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean-Frédéric Waldeck.
Reed College web site including all the images of Uxmal in Waldeck's 1838 "Voyage pittoresque et archeólogique"
"Brief Encounters with Jean-Frédéric Maximilien de Waldeck" at the Public Domain Review
January 07, 2023
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Jean Frederic Maximilien de Waldeck March 16 1766 April 30 1875 was a French antiquarian cartographer artist and explorer He was a man of talent and accomplishment but his love of self promotion and refusal to let the truth get in the way of a good story leave some aspects of his life in mystery Jean Frederic Waldeck At various times Waldeck said that he was born in Paris Prague or Vienna and at other times claimed to be a German Austrian or British citizen He often claimed the title of count and occasionally that of duke or baron but these cannot be verified 1 Waldeck said he had traveled to South Africa at age 19 and thereafter had begun a career in exploration He claimed to have returned to France and studied art as a student of Jacques Louis David He said he had traveled to Egypt with Napoleon s expedition 1 None of this has been independently verified indeed most of Waldeck s autobiography before about 1820 including his given birthdate is undocumented and his name is absent from records of various early expeditions he claimed to have been on Waldeck is remembered primarily for two actions The first is publishing drawings based on the notorious set of pornographic prints titled I Modi The second is the exploration of Mexico and the publication of many examples of Maya and Aztec sculpture Unfortunately errors in his illustrations fostered misconceptions about Mesoamerican civilizations and contributed to Mayanism He was active up until his death at the claimed age of 109 years 45 days He supposedly died of a heart attack while eying a beautiful woman near the Champs Elysees in Paris citation needed Contents 1 I Modi 2 Mexican illustrations 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksI Modi EditThe I Modi drawings are highly pornographic and accompanied sonnets by Pietro Aretino The original prints were published by the engraver Marcantonio Raimondi in the 16th century based on drawings by Giulio Romano 2 The publication caused a furor in Rome and Pope Clement VII ordered that all copies be destroyed As such there is no known original printing of I Modi in existence What has survived is a series of fragments in the British Museum 3 two copies of a single print and a woodcut copy from the 16th century Waldeck claimed to have found a set of tracings of the I Modi prints in a convent near Palenque in Mexico citation needed His story is dubious because there is no such convent However we know that he saw the fragments now in the British Museum because the fragments can be matched to his drawings citation needed Mexican illustrations Edit The artist carried by a sillero over the Chiapas from Palenque to Ocosingo Mexico by Jean Frederic Waldeck c 1833 Waldeck s first contact with the art of ancient Mesoamerica was when he was hired by the publisher Henry Berthoud to prepare some plates for an 1822 book entitled Description of the Ruins of an Ancient City 4 This book was an English translation of the 1787 report on Palenque by Antonio del Rio which had been commissioned for Charles III of Spain and then sat unpublished in the National Archives of Spain 1 Waldeck s engravings were much more beautiful and artistic than the original drawings he worked from and gave the monuments a decidedly Egyptian look in line with his patron s views that the ancient Mesoamericans were the Lost Tribes of Israel citation needed In 1825 he was hired as a hydraulic engineer by an English mining company and went to Mexico He did not last long at this job and after his failure he explored the Pre Columbian ruins of the country living in the ruined Palenque between May 1832 and July 1833 After that in 1834 he was hired by Lord Kingsborough to travel to Uxmal and make drawings and architectural reconstructions Some of these were fanciful in the extreme 1 In 1838 Waldeck published Voyage pittoresque et archeologique dans la province d Yucatan pendant les annees 1834 et 1836 Paris a volume of illustrations of Merida Yucatan and Maya ruins including those at Uxmal Dedicated to Lord Kingsborough this book provided what Waldeck believed was further support for connections between the ancient Maya and ancient Egypt His illustration of the Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal for example makes it look similar Egyptian pyramids In 1839 he was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society 5 Waldeck s illustrations of Palenque were chosen to accompany Monuments anciens du Mexique Palenque et autres ruines de l ancienne civilisation du Mexique 1866 by Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg However just as his earlier illustrations had implied connections between the ancient Maya and ancient Egypt the ones included with Brasseur de Bourbourg s text invoked the Classical antiquity of ancient Greece and Rome His illustrations of panels of Maya script in the Temple of Inscriptions at Palenque included clear depictions of heads of elephants now known to be erroneous embellishments This fueled speculation about contact between the ancient Maya and Asia and the role of the mythical lost continent of Atlantis as a common link between ancient civilizations of the Old and New Worlds Waldeck published numerous lithographs of what he had come across His last set of prints was published in 1866 when he celebrated his centennial References Edit a b c d Coe Michael E 1992 Breaking the Maya Code Penguin Books pp 76 77 ISBN 0140234810 Talvacchia Bette 1999 Taking Positions On the Erotic in Renaissance Culture Princeton University Press ISBN 978 0691026329 Barrell Tony 30 August 2009 Rude Britannia Erotic secrets of the British Museum The British Museum and British Library have some of the biggest collections of smut in the world including S amp M magazines The Sunday Times Description of the ruins of an ancient city London Henry Berthoud 1822 OL 23387116M American Antiquarian Society Members DirectoryFurther reading EditBaudez C F 1993 Jean Frederic Waldeck peintre le premier explorateur des ruines mayas Hazan Paris Brasseur de Bourbourg E C 1866 Monuments anciens de Mexique Palenque et autres ruines de l anc civilisation du Mexique Paris Illustrated by Waldeck Brunhouse Robert L 1973 In Search of the Maya The First Archaeologists University of New Mexico Press Albuquerque One chapter on Waldeck Cline Howard F 1947 The Apocryphal Early Career of J F de Waldeck Pioneer Americanist Acta Americana Tome V pp 278 299 Del Rio A 1822 Report of Antonio Del Rio to Don Jose Estacheria Brigadier Governor and Commandant General of the Kingdom of Guatemala Etc In Description of the ruins of an ancient city discovered near Palenque in the kingdom of Guatemala pp 1 21 H Berthoud and Suttaby Evance and Fox London Illustrated by Waldeck Lawner L 1988 I Modi the sixteen pleasures an erotic album of the Italian Renaissance Giulio Romano Marcantonio Raimondi Pietro Aretino and Count Jean Frederic Maximilien de Waldeck Northwestern University Evanston Ill Le Fur Y 2006 D un regard l autre histoire des regards europeens sur l Afrique l Amerique et l Oceanie Musee du quai Branly Paris Exhibition catalog that includes paintings by Waldeck Parsons L A and Jay I Kislak Foundation 1993 Columbus to Catherwood 1494 1844 350 years of historic book graphics depicting the islands Indians and archaeology of the West Indies Florida and Mexico Kislak bibliographic series publication 1 Jay I Kislak Foundation Inc Miami Lakes Fla Includes book illustrations by Waldeck Smith Mary Rebecca Darby 1878 Recollections of two distinguished persons la Marquise de Boissy and the Count de Waldeck J B Lippincott Philadelphia 1878 Memoir of encounters with Waldeck Book digitized at Internet Archive Thompson John Eric 1927 The Elephant Heads in the Waldeck Manuscripts Scientific Monthly No 25 pp 392 398 New York External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jean Frederic Waldeck Waldeck on emuseum mnsu edu Reed College web site including all the images of Uxmal in Waldeck s 1838 Voyage pittoresque et archeologique Waldeck s erotic drawings at the British Museum Waldeck Jean Frederic de Appletons Cyclopaedia of American Biography 1900 Brief Encounters with Jean Frederic Maximilien de Waldeck at the Public Domain Review Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jean Frederic Waldeck amp oldid 1108890986, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
