Disegno della Fortezza et Citta di Gotta in Sassonia

Reference: MS7258
Author Paolo FORLANI
Year: 1569
Zone: Gotha
Printed: Venice
Measures: 281 x 192 mm
€500.00

Reference: MS7258
Author Paolo FORLANI
Year: 1569
Zone: Gotha
Printed: Venice
Measures: 281 x 192 mm
€500.00

Description

Rare perspective view of the city by Paolo Forlani, 1567. Example issued by Bolognino Zaltieri, with descriptive text on verso by Giulio Ballino, printed in Venice in 1569.

“In alto, lungo il bordo superiore, è inciso il titolo: DISEGNO DELLA FORTEZZA ET CITTA DI GOTTA IN SASSONIA. Orientazione mediante una schematica rosa dei venti, con la semplice indicazione dei quadranti; il nord, nord-est è a sinistra.  Pianta prospettica anonima, priva di data ed indicazioni editoriali, attribuita a Paolo Forlani. Si tratta di una carta d’occasione realizzata per l’assedio di Gotha del gennaio 1567. L’opera è inserita in quattro dei cinque esemplari noti dell’opera Il primo libro delle citta et fortezze del mondo, che contiene tavole di Forlani e Zenoi. Si trova, altresì, nella raccolta cinquecentesca di grande formato della Biblioteca Casanatense. La lastra fu acquisita da Bolognino Zaltieri che la ristampa, inalterata, per le due diverse edizioni dell’opera De’ disegni delle più illustri citta, et fortezze del mondo di Giulio Ballino, entrambe pubblicate a Venezia nel 1569. Non si conoscono varianti di lastra, ma le tirature dello Zaltieri (1569) presentano un testo descrittivo al verso.” (cfr. Cartografia e topografia italiana del XVI secolo, p. 928).

Paolo Forlani, a native of Verona, opened his own chalcographic workshop in Venice, Al segno del pozzo, in 1560, as reflected in some of his works. From 1566 he was active in Merzaria al segno della colonna and from 1569 in Merzaria al segno della nave. Forlani had business relationships with the major publishers of cartographic material of the time, among them Antonio Lafreri, the Bertelli family, and others. In addition to being a talented engraver, he was also quick to execute, a quality that enabled him to work for different publishers at the same time, and to execute a large amount of work. Woodward attributes about one hundred works to Forlani, most of which, however, are unsigned. Between 1560 and 1567, Forlani collaborated with Ferrando Bertelli, for whom he engraved about ten copperplates, with Camocio, Bolognino Zaltieri, and with Claudio Duchetti, for whom he engraved some maps. For his professional activity, however, the collaboration with Giacomo Gastaldi, for whom he engraved thirteen maps, was very important and valuable. In 1567 Forlani published and traded his work Il primo libro delle città et fortezze principali del mondo, whose branches later passed to Bolognino Zaltieri. It is likely that Forlani died during the plague that spread through Venice from 1575.

Beautiful proof, printed on contemporary laid paper, descriptive text on verso, usual central crease, in very good condition.

Bibliografia

S. Bifolco, F. Ronca, Cartografia e topografia italiana del XVI secolo, tav. 336; S. Bifolco, Città e Fortezze Principali del Mondo. Le prime raccolte italiane di cartografia urbana e gli isolari del XVI secolo, in “Cartografia e topografia italiana del XVI secolo”, pp. 137-152; Albert Ganado, The Forlani-Zenoi town books of 1567. A description and analysis, in “Florilegium Cartographicum. Beiträge zur Kartographiegeschichte und Vedutenkunde des 16. Bis 18. Jahrhunderts”, a cura di Peter H. Köhl e Peter H. Meurer, Lipsia, 1993, pp. 21-34; Béla Szalai, (adattamento e traduzione inglese Ivan Matković), The Representation of the Hungarian Towns in Domenico Zenoi’s and Paolo Forlani’s Cartographic Work, in “Kartografija i geoinformacije”, Vol.11 (Budapest, No.18 December 2012), pp. 4-37; Vladimiro Valerio, Piante e vedute di Napoli dal 1486 al 1599. L’origine della iconografia urbana europea, Napoli, 1998; p. 40, n. 32 e p. 47, n. 16; David Woodward, Paolo Forlani: Compiler, Engraver, Printer, or Publisher? in Imago Mundi, Vol. 44 (Londra, 1992), pp. 45-64;

Paolo FORLANI (Attivo a Venezia seconda metà del XVI secolo)

Paolo Forlani, a native of Verona, opened his own chalcographic workshop in Venice, Al segno del pozzo, in 1560, as reflected in some of his works. From 1566 he was active in Merzaria al segno della colonna and from 1569 in Merzaria al segno della nave. Forlani had business relationships with the major publishers of cartographic material of the time, among them Antonio Lafreri, the Bertelli family, and others. In addition to being a talented engraver, he was also quick to execute, a quality that enabled him to work for different publishers at the same time, and to execute a large amount of work. Woodward attributes about one hundred works to Forlani, most of which, however, are unsigned. Between 1560 and 1567, Forlani collaborated with Ferrando Bertelli, for whom he engraved about ten copperplates, with Camocio, Bolognino Zaltieri, and with Claudio Duchetti, for whom he engraved some maps. For his professional activity, however, the collaboration with Giacomo Gastaldi, for whom he engraved thirteen maps, was very important and valuable. In 1567 Forlani published and traded his work Il primo libro delle città et fortezze principali del mondo, whose branches later passed to Bolognino Zaltieri. It is likely that Forlani died during the plague that spread through Venice from 1575.

Paolo FORLANI (Attivo a Venezia seconda metà del XVI secolo)

Paolo Forlani, a native of Verona, opened his own chalcographic workshop in Venice, Al segno del pozzo, in 1560, as reflected in some of his works. From 1566 he was active in Merzaria al segno della colonna and from 1569 in Merzaria al segno della nave. Forlani had business relationships with the major publishers of cartographic material of the time, among them Antonio Lafreri, the Bertelli family, and others. In addition to being a talented engraver, he was also quick to execute, a quality that enabled him to work for different publishers at the same time, and to execute a large amount of work. Woodward attributes about one hundred works to Forlani, most of which, however, are unsigned. Between 1560 and 1567, Forlani collaborated with Ferrando Bertelli, for whom he engraved about ten copperplates, with Camocio, Bolognino Zaltieri, and with Claudio Duchetti, for whom he engraved some maps. For his professional activity, however, the collaboration with Giacomo Gastaldi, for whom he engraved thirteen maps, was very important and valuable. In 1567 Forlani published and traded his work Il primo libro delle città et fortezze principali del mondo, whose branches later passed to Bolognino Zaltieri. It is likely that Forlani died during the plague that spread through Venice from 1575.