Romania / Polonia / Germania - Illustrated timeline; Anonimo - Memorabilia Ao MDCCXVII - 1701-1720

Rare and extraordinary allegorical and chronologico-historical broadside engraved on copper, published in Germany in 1717. The work, titled in the upper margin “Memorabilia Ao MDCCXVII. Gedenckwürdigkeiten des 1716.ten Jahres,” arises as a sophisticated visual compendium to celebrate the most important and memorable historical, geopolitical, and military events that occurred in the year 1716 on the European continent. The composition unfolds as a series of refined panels carefully arranged around a large central allegorical scene enriched by a complex chronogram inscription and noble emblems.
Among the vignettes stand out two extremely important cartographic and vedutistic elements of exceptional collecting interest. On the right is a beautiful map of the island of Corfu and the Greek coast (“Turcae Corcyra repulsi”), documenting the famous and victorious Christian resistance against the Ottoman siege. A little below, there is the fortification plan of the fortress of Timișoara (“Temeswaria in potestatem redacta”), celebrating the historic liberation of the city from Turkish occupation carried out by imperial troops led by Prince Eugene of Savoy. On the left, the fortification plan of the city of Wismar on the Baltic Sea (“Wilmaria capta et diruta”), tied to the events of the Great Northern War, flanked by various views of naval battles, sieges, and peace treaties that redrew the period’s borders, such as the affairs in Poland (“Polonia pacata”). The back of the work is completely blank. This exceptional period sheet remains in excellent overall condition, printed on sturdy contemporary paper with clear, strong, and well-contrasted ink, showing the natural editorial folds. A piece of extreme rarity and historical significance, ideal for collectors of cartography, contemporary war chronicles, and 18th-century broadside sheets.
Dimensions 20 x 30 cm
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