Italy - Milan; N. De Fer - Les Environs de Milan - 1703

Technical data

Title: The Surroundings of Milan.
Author: Nicolas de Fer (c. 1646–1720), cartographer and publisher, credited in the cartouche as «Geographer of His Highness the Dauphin».
Draftsman: not indicated.
Engraver of the inscriptions: Vincent de Ginville, signature «Vincent de Ginville scripsit» near the cartouche.
Publisher: Nicolas de Fer, under the sign of the Royal Sphere.
Place: Paris.
Era: 1703, date incised in the cartouche.
Technique: copper-engraved intaglio on copper, with non-contemporary hand-coloring in watercolor.
Support: paper.
Dimensions: sheet 41.5 × 26.5 cm; engraving 22.5 × 34.5 cm.
Composition: single plate, numbered 83 in the upper right.
Territories represented: Northern Italy, Lombardy; Milan and its contado, including portions of the current territory of the Metropolitan City of Milan and the provinces of Monza and Brianza, Varese and Lodi.
Verso: blank.

Description

Map of the environs of Milan, with the city depicted at the center through a miniature plan that highlights its fortified enceinte and the Sforza Castle. The depiction extends from the localities north of Monza to the Milanese southern plains, including in the west the Magenta and Abbiategrasso area and in the east the Cassano d'Adda and Lodi area.
Dense toponymy identifies villages, hamlets, and rural nuclei, distinguished by small conventional symbols. The hydrographic network, the navigli, and territorial connections describe the relationship between Milan and its contado, returning the image of a landscape intensely inhabited and organized around the waterways.
At the bottom left the title and the editorial address are enclosed in a scroll-like cartouche, adorned with a trophy of arms, banners, and military equipment. At the top left appear the scale of five Italian miles and a north arrow with a fleur-de-lis. The coloring distinguishes the urban core and the ornamental elements, while faint shading accompanies the surrounding territory.

Historical-artistic note

Nicolas de Fer was an important figure in Parisian cartographic publishing in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. His output includes regional maps, city plans, and fortification representations, characterized by a particular emphasis on legibility and decorative devices.
The plate documents the Milanese territory at the beginning of the 18th century, in the context of the War of the Spanish Succession, when Milan and its duchy played a strategic role in European balances. The military trophy in the cartouche and the depiction of the city’s defenses fit within the language of political and military cartography of the period.

Condition Report

The specimen is generally in good condition, with a clearly legible impression and margins preserved on all four sides. Minor wave and slight handling traces with scattered small stains, more evident on the reverse. Mild peripheral tanning and minimal irregularity of the upper right corner. Hand-coloring non-contemporary. Reverse white, with slight show-through of the printing and color.