Sign In

Password

- Or use -

Forgot Password Create Account

Checkout

This item has been sold, but you can enter your email address to be notified if another example becomes available.

Stock# 103800

Download Small Image

Map Maker

Vincenzo Maria Coronelli

Title

Citta di Venetia Descritta Dal P. Coronelli Cosmografo Della Serenissima Republica

Publication Place / Date

Venice / 1690 circa

Image Dimensions

30.25 x 19 inches

Color

Hand Colored

Condition

Stock# 103800

SOLD

Request Info Download Hi-Res Image File - $29.95

Sell Us a Map

Add to Wishlist

Email a Friend

Buy Hi-Res Download

Map Maker

Authenticity Guarantee

Map Maker

Fast, Global Shipping

Description

A stunning view of Venice, published by the most famous Venetian mapmaker of the 17th Century, Vincenzo Maria Coronelli.

Coronelli's view presents an imposing bird's-eye perspective of Venice, updated from Merian's 1638 depiction to include the Basilica della Salute, epitomizing cartographic elegance of the late 17th century.

Acclaimed as "one of the most beautiful and appreciated Venetian maps" (Moretto, 114), the view is bordered by an intricate laurel branch frame, interlaced with a ribbon that bears 86 medallions, each representing the coat of arms and name of a city within the Venetian Republic.

Central to the composition is the winged lion of Saint Mark, an emblematic guardian of the city's vast and storied history. Flanked by dual cartouches, the map's left declares its title, while the right is devoted to a dedication to Abbondio Rezzonico.

Coronelli's distinguished career as a cosmographer, cartographer, publisher, and Franciscan friar marked significant advancements in geographic documentation. The founder of Europe's first geographical society, the Accademia degli Argonauti, and the esteemed creator of monumental globes for European nobility, including the grandiose pair for Louis XIV, Coronelli was esteemed for the accuracy and expansive detail of his work. His scholarly contributions, spanning from the multi-volume Libro dei Globi to the extensive Atlante Veneto and the encompassing Isolario, are celebrated for their meticulous detail and contribution to the cartographic and geographic record.

The view is a testament to the Republic's grandeur and Coronelli's unparalleled skill in cartography, providing a visual narrative of Venice at the cusp of the 18th century but also symboling the Republic's extensive influence and the evolution of cartographic artistry during this period.

Condition Description

Engraving with hand-color on 17th century laid paper. Two sheets joined. Margin extended at bottom with period paper. Old tear at lower right, expertly repaired on verso. Minor restoration at top left corner.

Reference

Cassini, 52; Moretto, 114.

Vincenzo Maria Coronelli Biography

Vincenzo Maria Coronelli (1650-1718) was one of the most influential Italian mapmakers and was known especially for his globes and atlases. The son of a tailor, Vincenzo was apprenticed to a xylographer (a wood block engraver) at a young age. At fifteen he became a novice in a Franciscan monastery. At sixteen he published his first book, the first of 140 publications he would write in his lifetime. The order recognized his intellectual ability and saw him educated in Venice and Rome. He earned a doctorate in theology, but also studied astronomy. By the late 1670s, he was working on geography and was commissioned to create a set of globes for the Duke of Parma. These globes were five feet in diameter. The Parma globes led to Coronelli being named theologian to the Duke and receiving a bigger commission, this one from Louis XIV of France. Coronelli moved to Paris for two years to construct the King’s huge globes, which are 12.5 feet in diameter and weigh 2 tons.

The globes for the French King led to a craze for Coronelli’s work and he traveled Europe making globes for the ultra-elite. By 1705, he had returned to Venice. There, he founded the first geographical society, the Accademia Cosmografica degli Argonauti and was named Cosmographer of the Republic of Venice. He died in 1718.