Italy - Lazio / Gaeta; Georg Braun (1541–1622) e Frans Hogenberg (1535–1590) - Conspectus Molae et Caietae / MOLA - CASTEL NOVO - 1561-1580

Rare and evocative sixteenth-century view of the Gulf of Gaeta seen from the Mola hill (today Formia) along the Appian Way. In the foreground, on the left, two travelers in Renaissance dress — one with a yellow cloak and one with a red cloak — observe the panorama beside a rectangular cartouche with a Latin caption (In hac tabula ad vivum delineatur sinus Caietanus...). On the right rise the imposing cylindrical tower of Mola and the fortifications of CASTEL NOVO, while in the background unfolds the Gaeta promontory over the sea, crossed by galleys and merchant ships. Up above, among the clouds, appears a red ribbon cartouche with the Latin inscription on the famous Virgilian verse dedicated to Caieta, nurse of Aeneas (Tu quoque littoribus nostris Aeneia nutrix...).\n\nConservation status\n\n• Engraving and coloring. A sharp and well-contrasted impression, enhanced by a lively and refined watercolor coloring that highlights the pink tones of the sky, the reflections on the sea, and the costumes of the figures.