Blaeu - Hartog van Savoye, Prins van Piemont - 1697

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MONUMENTAL MASTERPIECE OF JOHANNES BLAEU: THE GRAND THEATER OF THE SOVEREIGNS IN PIEDMONTE
Magnificent and monumental commemorative work dedicated to the domains of the House of Savoy, published in The Hague in 1697 by Johannes Blaeu, the foremost interpreter of Dutch cartography and topographic publishing of the seventeenth century. This extraordinary “Tooneel der heerschappyen” is not only 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 devices, the work builds a grandiose image of the Savoy state at the crucial moment of its ascent to European royal rank. The monumental format, the large‑scale copperplate plates with dramatic scenography, and the refined Dutch printing transform this volume into one of the most important iconographic testimonies of Baroque Turin and of Savoy’s visual identity between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

MARKET VALUE
Topographic works by Blaeu dedicated to Italian territories, especially those related to the Savoy States and complete with the main plates, are today highly sought after on the international market. Comparable copies of the “Tooneel der heerschappyen” generally range from 6,000 to 18,000 euros depending on the completeness of the iconography, the freshness of the engravings, the quality of the binding, and the presence of allegorical and heraldic plates. Incomplete copies of some plates nevertheless retain strong historical and collecting interest due to the importance of the work.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary full vellum binding with title and gilded ornaments on the spine. Raised bands. Some defects and wear. 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 emblem of Victor Amadeus II in the first volume. Nine copperplate plates (out of 140) preserved, some folded and large in format, depicting urban views, architectures, castles and defensive works of the Savoy State. Pages show physical browning and signs of use. In old books with a multi-century 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 dedicated to celebratory representation of the Savoy state at the end of the seventeenth century. The volume was conceived as a political and diplomatic instrument designed to show Europe the administrative, military, and urban modernity of the domains of Victor Amadeus II, at a moment when the House of Savoy was consolidating its role among the great continental dynasties.
The Turin views 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 build a true geography of Savoy power. The choice to entrust the project to the Dutch publishing milieu of Blaeu is not casual. Dutch cartography and topographic publishing represented at the time the highest European standard for technical precision, engraving quality and international prestige. The work thus fits into the tradition of grand Baroque celebratory atlases, in which geography, dynastic propaganda and spectacularization of territory fuse into a single visual language. The allegorical and heraldic apparatus further strengthens the political message: the Duchy of Savoy is presented not as a peripheral Italian entity, but as an European power fully integrated into the system of modern monarchies.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Johannes Blaeu (1596-1673), son of the renowned cartographer Willem Blaeu, was one of the most important editors, geographers and cartographers of the seventeenth-century Europe. His Amsterdam workshop produced some of the most famous atlases ever created, including the monumental “Atlas Maior.” Blaeu’s works represent the absolute peak of Dutch Baroque cartography in terms of typographic quality, refined engraving, and editorial ambition. Their production deeply influenced the geographical and political representation of modern Europe.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
The “Tooneel der heerschappyen” was published in The Hague by Adriaan Moetjens in 1697, compiling topographic and celebratory materials dedicated to the Savoy dominions. The work had a relatively limited circulation, mainly intended for aristocratic, diplomatic and collector circles.
Complete copies of the plates are now rare. Many surviving copies show iconographic dispersions due to the frequent separation of engravings, often sold individually on the antiquarian market as early as the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The presence of allegorical title pages, the heraldic plate, and a substantial portion of the views keeps the manuscript’s historical-documentary value high.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU / OPAC SBN: censimenti delle edizioni del “Tooneel der heerschappyen”.
WorldCat: Johannes Blaeu, opre topografiche dedicate ai domini sabaudi.
Koeman, Atlantes Neerlandici, repertori dedicated 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 seventeenth century.
Studies on the dynastic propaganda of Victor Amadeus II.
International antiquarian catalogs dedicated to atlases and Italian views of the seventeenth century.
Research on the publishing production of Adriaan Moetjens in The Hague.
Iconographic studies on Savoy residences and Piedmontese fortifications.
Indexes dedicated to European urban views of the seventeenth century.