Italy - Perugia, Umbria, Lake Trasimeno; Blaeu - Territorio Perugino - 1643

Technical sheet

Title: Territory of Perugia.
Author: Joan Blaeu (1596–1673), within the Blaeu family cartographic production.
Designer: not indicated; cartographic layout derived from the tradition of Giovanni Antonio Magini.
Publisher: Blaeu cartographic workshop.
Place: Amsterdam.
Period: 17th century, 1643.
Technique: intaglio engraving on copper by burin, with manual watercolor coloring of borders and ornamental devices.
Support: laid paper.
Dimensions: sheet 58 × 50 cm; engraving 38.5 × 50 cm.
Composition: single plate with central editorial fold, from Le Theatre du Monde.
Territories depicted: Central Italy, mainly the present-day Umbria, with Perugia, Lake Trasimeno and surrounding areas; portions of eastern Tuscany and the Apennine area toward the Marche. Indicated are the Contado of Città di Castello, the State of Urbino, the Duchy of Spoleto, the Orvieto territory and parts of the Florentine and Sienese territories.
Verse: French typographic text titled Description du Pays de Peruse, with an embellished initial, page number 78 and signature “Ooo”.
Origin work: French edition of Théâtre du Monde ou Nouvel Atlas by the Blaeu family.

Description

Seicento (seventeenth-century) map of the territory of Perugia, focused on the city of Perugia and Lake Trasimeno, here named “Lake of Perugia,” accompanied by the ancient Latin name. The representation describes a dense network of inhabited centers, castles, waterways and reliefs, offering a detailed testimony to the geographic and territorial organization of Umbria and the neighboring areas.
The lake occupies a wide portion of the western section and is depicted with its islands; Perugia is highlighted with a miniature urban view. The orography is rendered with perspective elevations, while the borders are underscored by outlined aquarelle lines.
Bottom right develops a rich cartouche with scrolls, fruits and a mask, topped by papal keys and the tiara, flanked by two winged figures. The apparatus recalls the Perugian territory’s belonging to the State of the Church. In the upper right a second cartouche, animated by a putto with a compass, encloses the “Scala di Miglia cinque Italiane” (Five Italian Mile Scale). The graduated frame and the indications of the cardinal points complete the composition.

Historical-artistic note

The Blaeu family was among the protagonists of Dutch cartography in the seventeenth century. Joan continued and expanded the enterprise founded by his father Willem Janszoon, publishing atlases in which geographic precision, typographic quality, and decorative richness contributed to a prestigious editorial product.
The Territory of Perugia, present in Blaeu’s oeuvre from 1640 onward, belongs to the series of maps dedicated to Italian states and territories. Its layout fits within Giovanni Antonio Magini’s cartographic tradition, reworked to suit the taste of Dutch atlases. The French text on the reverse identifies a copy intended for the edition in that language.

Condition Report

Overall, the specimen is in good condition, with legible impression and well-preserved coloring. Central editorial fold with slight yellowing and traces of handling along the axis. On the reverse there is a narrow paper strip along the fold and a rectangular reinforcement at the bottom end, where a small discontinuity of the paper is evident. Wide margins, with slight waviness, minor browning and sporadic foxing. French typographic text on the reverse.