Description

Splendid and rare Lafreri School town-plan of Geneva, Calvin’s paradise on earth, with lettered index. Bird’s-eye-view of the city with Lac Lausanne in the foreground and Geneva’s coat-of-arms prominently displayed.

Dated 1567, the view was engraved by Paolo Forlani, of the Lafreri school of mapmakers, first published in Il Primo Libro Delle Citta, Et Fortezze Principali Del Mondo; this is the second issue, from Giulio Ballino’s De’ Disegni Delle Piu Illustri Citta…, which was published by Zaltieri.

The so-called “Lafreri” school of mapmakers constituted a loose group of engravers and printers working in Venice and Rome in the middle of the sixteenth century who often bound together collections of maps and prints to form atlases. Lafreri had been one of the leading publishers whose catalogue of stock and renown for binding has given rise to the “Lafreri” attribution.

Cartographer(s):

Giulio Ballino Paolo Forlani

Paolo Forlani (1525–1581) was an Italian mapmaker primarily active between 1560 and 1571. Born in Venice around 1525, Forlani became one of the most prominent mapmakers of the 16th century. He is particularly noted for his skill in engraving and publishing maps, many of which were produced for inclusion in composite atlases. He collaborated closely with other mapmakers of the time, including Giacomo Gastaldi and Antonio Lafreri, whose works formed the basis of the Lafreri School of Cartography.

During his lifetime and today, Forlani was held in high regard for the quality and detail of his maps, and he played a crucial role in cementing the paradigms of Renaissance cartography.

Condition Description

Excellent condition. Heavy paper, strong print, clean image, wide margins. Verso centerfold reinforced with Japanese tissue paper. Italian text on verso. Some minor spots in outer margins.