Italy - Ischia, Procida, Campania; Blaeu - Ischia Isola, olim Ænaria. - 1643

Technical Specifications

Title: Ischia Isola, olim Ænaria.
Author: Joan Blaeu (1596–1673) and Cornelis Blaeu (1610–1656), with the publication imprint «Joh. et Cornelius Blaeu exc.».
Cartographer: Map design derived from Giulio Iasolino (1538–1622), explicitly acknowledged in the cartouche with the wording «Iulius Iasolinus describ.». e-rara.ch
Engraver: Not identified.
Publisher: Joan and Cornelis Blaeu.
Place: Amsterdam.
Date: 1643, according to the date of the edition from which it comes.
Technique: Copperplate engraving, executed with a burin, with hand-applied watercolor highlighting the relief, coastlines, settlements, and ornamental features; the date of the coloring has not been established.
Support: Laid paper.
Dimensions: Sheet 58 × 49.5 cm; engraved area 38.5 × 49.5 cm.
Composition: Map on a single double-page sheet, with a central publisher’s fold, three ornamental cartouches, and a scale in Italian miles.
Areas depicted: The island of Ischia, Procida, and the islet of Vivara; part of the Phlegraean coastline, including Capo Miseno, Bacoli, Baia, Cuma, and the coastal lakes. Territory of present-day Campania, Italy, then part of the Kingdom of Naples.
Verso: Descriptive text in French titled «Ischia», arranged in two columns and numbered 209.

Description

A seventeenth-century map of the island of Ischia, depicted with exceptional detail in its topography, settlements, and thermal features. The composition has an unusual orientation, with the southern part of the island facing upward, as explained by the Latin notice in the lower-left cartouche. This arrangement allows Procida and part of the Phlegraean coast to be included on the same plate.
The territory of Ischia is depicted with perspective views of the terrain, cultivated fields, trees, roads, and small buildings. Mount Epomeo dominates the center of the island, while headlands, coves, rocks, and settlements—including Ischia with its castle, Forio, and Sant’Angelo—can be distinguished along the coast. Numerous inscriptions identify baths, springs, and places associated with thermal waters, giving the map an interest that extends beyond geographical description to include the island’s natural resources.
Procida appears between Ischia and the mainland, while the continental coastline is embellished with architecture and traces of antiquity. Three vessels animate the sea, which is crossed by elegant calligraphic inscriptions. The title is enclosed in a scrollwork cartouche in the upper-left corner; two further cartouches contain the notice about orientation and a note on the method used to depict the island, accompanied by a reference to Iasolino. The coloring enhances the relief, settlements, and wealth of ornament.

Historical and Artistic Note

The map is distinguished by its explicit reference to Giulio Iasolino’s model, rather than by a general derivation from Magini’s cartography. The abundance of references to baths and springs reveals the central role of thermal resources in the description of the island.
The imprint «Joh. et Cornelius Blaeu exc.» identifies the publication as having been produced by the workshop of the brothers Joan and Cornelis Blaeu. The work combines descriptive precision with decorative flair: the landscape is constructed through perspective views of terrain and buildings, while the cartouches, sailing ships, and inscriptions transform the geographical depiction into a composition of considerable ornamental quality.

Condition Report

Copy with a central publisher’s fold and margins preserved on all four sides. Widespread foxing and brown oxidation affect the sheet, most noticeably in the margins, the sea areas, and on the verso; a few more pronounced stains are present. Slight waviness, handling creases, and minor surface marks. The engraved portion is clearly legible and the coloring is preserved, with no obvious losses to the map. Verso with French text.