Blaeu - Hartog van Savoye, Prins van Piemont - 1697

MONUMENTAL MASTERPIECE BY JOHANNES BLAEU: THE GRAND THEATER OF THE SAVAUDIAN (SAVOY) IN PIEDMONT
Magnificent and monumental commemorative work dedicated to the domains of the House of Savoy, published in The Hague in 1697 by Johannes Blaeu, the leading interpreter of Dutch cartography and topographic publishing of the Seicento. This extraordinary “Tooneel der heerschappyen” is not merely an illustrated atlas, but a true political manifesto meant to present to European courts the territorial, military, and symbolic power of the Duchy of Savoy under Victor Amadeus II. Through urban views, architectural perspectives, squares, castles, villas, fortifications, and heraldic displays, the work builds a grand image of the Savoy State at the crucial moment of its ascent to European royal rank. The grandeur of the format, the large-scenic copperplate plates, and the refined Dutch printing transform this volume into one of the most important iconographic testimonies of Baroque Turin and the Savoy visual identity between the 17th and 18th centuries.
MARKET VALUE
Topographical works by Blaeu devoted to Italian territories, especially those concerning the Savoy States and complete with the main plates, are today highly sought on the international market. Comparable copies of the “Tooneel der heerschappyen” generally range from 6,000 to 18,000 euros depending on iconographic completeness, the freshness of the engravings, the quality of the binding, and the presence of allegorical and heraldic plates. Incomplete copies of some plates still hold strong historical and collecting interest for the importance of the work.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary full calf binding with gilt title and ornaments on the spine. Raised spine bands. Some defects and wear. Typographic title pages printed in red and black with an engraved vignette. Present are the second allegorical copperplate title pages in both volumes. Present is an heraldic plate with the coat of arms of Victor Amadeus II in the first volume. Nine copperplate plates preserved, some folding and large-format, depicting urban views, architectures, castles, and defensive apparatuses of the Savoy State. Pages with natural aging browning and signs of use. In old books with a multisection history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 14nn; 108; (4). (4); 12nn; 138; (4).
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Tooneel der heerschappyen van zyne Koninglyke Hoogheyd den Hartog van Savoye, prins van Piemont, koning van Cyprus.
In s' Gravenhage, by Adriaan Moetjens, 1697.
Johannes Blaeu.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
This work represents one of the most ambitious editorial projects devoted to the celebratory representation of the Savoy State at the end of the 17th century. The volume began as a political and diplomatic instrument intended to show Europe the administrative, military, and urban modernity of the domains of Victor Amadeus II, at the moment when the House of Savoy was consolidating its role among the great continental dynasties.
The views of Turin form the symbolic heart of the work: the capital is presented as a modern, orderly, fortified city worthy of the great European courts. Beside the city appear castles, ducal residences, squares, religious buildings, and military structures that create a true geography of Savoy power. The choice to entrust the project to the Dutch publishing environment of Blaeu is not incidental. Dutch cartography and topographic publishing represented the highest European standard for technical precision, engraving quality, and international prestige at the time. The work thus situates itself within the tradition of grand Baroque celebratory atlases, where geography, dynastic propaganda, and the spectacularization of territory merge into a single visual language. The allegorical and heraldic apparatus further reinforces the political message: the Duchy of Savoy is presented not as a peripheral Italian reality, but as a European power fully embedded in the system of modern monarchies.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Johannes Blaeu (1596-1673), son of the famed cartographer Willem Blaeu, was one of the most important publishers, geographers, and cartographers of the European Seicento. His Amsterdam workshop produced some of the most celebrated atlases ever made, including the monumental “Atlas Maior.” Blaeu’s works represent the absolute pinnacle of Dutch Baroque cartography in terms of typographic quality, refined engraving, and editorial ambition. Their output deeply influenced the geographic and political representation of early modern Europe.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The “Tooneel der heerschappyen” was published in The Hague by Adriaan Moetjens in 1697, compiling topographical and celebratory materials devoted to the Savoy domains. The work had relatively limited circulation, intended mainly for aristocratic, diplomatic, and collecting circles.
Complete copies of the plates are now rare. Many surviving exemplars show iconographic dispersions due to the common practice of separating engravings, often sold individually on the antiquarian market already in the 18th and 19th centuries. The presence of allegorical frontispieces, the heraldic plate, and a substantial portion of the views nevertheless maintain the high historical-documentary value of the exemplar.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN: censuses of editions of the “Tooneel der heerschappyen.”
WorldCat: Johannes Blaeu, topographical works devoted to the Savoy domains.
Koeman, Atlantes Neerlandici, repertoires devoted to Blaeu’s production.
Van der Krogt, Koeman’s Atlantes Neerlandici, studies on Dutch Baroque cartography.
Bibliographies on Savoy topography and Baroque Turin of the 17th century.
Studies on the dynastic propaganda of Victor Amadeus II.
International antiquarian catalogs devoted to atlases and Italian views of the 17th century.
Research on the publishing activity of Adriaan Moetjens in The Hague.
Iconographic studies on Savoy residences and Piedmontese fortifications.
Catalogs dedicated to European urban views of the 17th century.