Fascinating 1566 Lafreri bird’s-eye-view of Tunis with the ruins of Carthage.
[Tunisi]
Out of stock
Description
Bird’s-eye-view of Tunis, the most important Ottoman naval base of the western Mediterranean.
The second state with the addition of the name of Zaltieri.
A rare geographical map depicts the city of Tunis, ancient Goletta, and the northern coasts of North Africa, with the ruins of Carthage.
Oriented with the south at the top, the map depicts military camps and naval battles, scenes that are only imaginary; at the time, there were no conflicts around Tunis. It is a fairly faithful copy of a Roman engraving by Agostino de Musi, known as Agostino Veneziano, published to illustrate the 1535 conquest of Tunis by the Christian fleet under the command of Charles V. In making the copy, Forlani made a mistake by omitting the scale of the miles despite mentioning it in the explanatory text.
Cartographer(s):
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
Very good; minor centerfold and marginal wear.
References
Borroni Salvadori (1980): n. 314; Destombes (1970): nn. 143-143a; De Vries (1981): n. 64; Dzikowski (1940): n. 73; Ganado (1982): n. 91; Ganado (1994): p. 215, n. 87; Meurer (2002): n. 178; Ruge (1904-16): II, n. 67.70 & IV, n. 86.95; Shirley (2004): II, n. 62; Tavernari (2014): n. 108; Wieder (1915): p. 20, n. 156; Brummet (2015): p. 177, fig. 4.26; Tooley (1939): n. 558 & 559; Woodward (1990): n. 63 & 64.01-64.02. Recorded examples: 1°: Basilea, Universitatbibliothek; Chicago, Newberry Library; Leida, Universiteitsbibliotheek. 2°: Budapest, National Széchényi Library; Chicago, Newberry Library; Firenze, Biblioteca Nazionale; Firenze, Marucelliana; Greenwich, National Maritime Museum; Londra, British Library; Madrid, Real Biblioteca; Modena, Biblioteca Estense; Monaco di Baviera, Bayerische StaatsBibliothek; New York, Public Library; Parigi, Bibliothèque Nationale (4); Roma, Alessandrina (2); Roma, Biblioteca Nazionale (2); Roma, Casanatense; Roma, Istituto Centrale per la Grafica; Rostock, Universitatsbibliothek; Stanford, University Library; Stoccarda, Württembergische Landesbibliothek; Torino, Archivio di Stato; Vilnius, University Library; Yale, University Library. 3°: Copenaghen, Universitetsbibliotekets; Malta, National Library; Parigi, Bibliothèque Nationale.
