Europe - Italy; Verdussen - L'Italie - 1725

Technical sheet

Title: L’Italie
Author: I. Peeters
Engraver: Attributed to Jacobus Harrewijn (1660–1727)
Publisher: Juan Bautista Verdussen
Place: Antwerp
Period: 1725
Technique: Copper-engraved engraving on copper with hand coloring to the borders
Support: Rag paper
Dimensions: Sheet 18.5 × 20 cm; impression 13.5 × 15 cm
Composition: A single-sheet geographical map, with a central vertical fold

Description

Geographical map of Italy titled L’Italie. The representation includes the peninsula, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, as well as neighboring regions and part of the Dalmatian coast. Cities, territories and main coastal features are identified by dense toponymy in French.
The borders are highlighted by hand coloring. The map features a volute cartouche with the title in the lower left corner, a scale in the upper right corner and graduations along the border. The compact format and the central fold are consistent with a plate intended for a small-format geographical work; the originating work is not identified.

Historical-artistic note

The plate belongs to the tradition of maps of Italy published for a Francophone audience between the late seventeenth and the first half of the eighteenth century. The selection of inhabited centers, territorial denominations and the coloring of the borders illustrate its function as a geographical reference. In the absence of a signature or editorial indication on the map, attributing it to a specific cartographer, engraver or publisher requires a precise bibliographic comparison.

Condition Report

Central vertical crease with browning along the line and small foxing, slight stains on the sheet; aging marks visible also on the back. Margins present. Verso white, with transparency of printing and coloring. Coloring at the borders contemporaneous.