Italy - Vicenza, Veneto; Blaeu - Territorio di Vicenza - 1643

Technical sheet

Title: Territory of Vicenza.
Author: Joan Blaeu (1596–1673), within the Blaeu family cartographic production.
Draftsman: not indicated; cartographic arrangement derived from the tradition of Giovanni Antonio Magini.
Publisher: Blaeu cartographic workshop.
Place: Amsterdam.
Period: 1643.
Technique: copper-engraved intaglio on copper with hand watercoloring of borders, cities, and ornamental devices.
Support: laid paper.
Dimensions: sheet 58 × 50 cm; engraving 41.5 × 49.5 cm.
Composition: single plate with central editorial fold, taken from Le Théâtre du Monde ou Nouvel Atlas, French edition.
Territories represented: Northeastern Italy, mainly the present-day Veneto, with the Vicenza territory and portions of Verona, Padua, and Treviso; part of present-day Trentino, with Trento, Rovereto and the neighboring mountainous areas. The map documents Vicentine belonging to the Republic of Venice and the nearby areas of the Tyrolean-Trentino territory.
Verso: French typographic text titled Vicentin, arranged in two columns, with page number 48, watermark “Oo” and ornamental crest.

Description

Sixteenth-seventeenth-century map of the Vicenza territory, depicted from the northern mountain areas to the southern plains, with a dense network of inhabited centers, waterways, and reliefs. Vicenza occupies the central sector of the composition and is highlighted by a miniature urban plan; similar depictions distinguish Padua to the southeast and Trento in the northwest sector.
The representation describes the articulation of the Vicentine landscape, from the Asiago Plateau and the Prealps mountains to the valleys and the plains. Notable places include Bassano, Marostica, Schio, Thiene, Arzignano, and Lonigo. The relief is rendered in perspective, while the coloring of the borders facilitates reading of the different territorial jurisdictions.
At the lower left the title is enclosed in an architectural cartouche flanked by three figures in seventeenth-century dress and surmounted by a statue of Diana with bow and quiver. At the upper right appears the winged lion of Saint Mark with an open book, within a frame of scrolls and ribbons, a reminder of Venetian sovereignty over Vicenza. At the lower right another cartouche contains the “Scala di miglia sette Italiane,” accompanied by fruits, vegetation, and representations of silkworms, evoking local productive resources. The graduated border and the cardinal point indications complete the plate.

Historical-artistic note

Joan Blaeu was one of the leading figures of Dutch cartography in the seventeenth century. Building on his father Willem Janszoon’s enterprise, he developed a production of atlases for the international market, characterized by a balance between geographic information, engraving quality, and decorative richness.
The Vicentine map follows the framework of Giovanni Antonio Magini’s regional cartography, reworked in the figurative language of Dutch atlases. The ornamental features accompany the geographical description with references to local culture, economy, and political identity, represented by the lion of St. Mark. The French text on the verso accompanies the map with information on inhabitants, productive activities, and local administration.

Condition Report

Overall in good condition, with a clearly legible impression and preserved coloration. Central editorial fold with slight browning and signs of handling, more evident at the edges. On the verso there is a narrow paper splice along the central axis, related to atlas binding. Wide margins with scattered foxing and small brown stains, more concentrated in the lateral and lower areas. Slight paper waviness and modest peripheral yellowing. On the verso there is French typographic text and ornamental crest, affected by sporadic pin-pricking of foxing.