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Rare and Spectacular Vision of Ancient Rome in Seven Hills
This fascinating folding wall map of ancient Rome was published in 1868 by Hermann (Arminius) Rheinhard, a German antiquities professor based in Stuttgart.
The Wall maps is a special, separate issue of a smaller atlas sized map which Rheinhard published for his ancient history atlas in 1860, with this expanded edition likely intended a visual aid for instruction.
An elegant title page has been added to the verso of the linen backing, which not only identifies the map and its maker but also informs us that the new version was funded (sumptibus) and possibly published by one C. Hoffmann, also of Stuttgart.
The map shows all of ancient Rome’s famous institutions and monuments, with place names and titles in Latin. Surviving complexes such as the Baths of Diocletian or the Colosseum (Amphithetrum Flavium) are shown in considerable plan detail, whereas other institutions now in ruins are outlined and shaded.
On the left is an inset plan of the Forum, which shows all of its individual features in detail. The work is embellished with ten finely engraved vignettes, which depict some of the Eternal City’s most famous landmarks as they appeared at the time (i.e. in a romanticized and largely ruinous state).
The urban landscape is set within the broader scope of Rome’s natural topography, which the mapmaker carefully renders, labels, and colors as the infrastructure itself, allowing each of Rome’s Seven Hills to be easily distinguished.
Rarity
The map is very rare on the market.
In its day, the map must have received wide acclaim, with institutional example noted by OCLC in the British Library, Boston Public Library, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Harvard, Princeton, University of Amsterdam, University of Zurich, and Oberlin College.
However, we found only a single example at auction in recent decades (Hôtel des Ventes de Saínt Omer, February 27, 2016 (lot 123) and no examples in published dealer catalogs noted in AMPR.
![(Rome) Il Prospetto della Città Leonina, che si vede colla Basilica Vaticana, Ponte, e Castel S. Angelo [The View of the Leonine City, with the Vatican Basilica, Bridge, and Castel Sant'Angelo]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/93193.jpg)
