Amphiteatrum Veronense. L'Amphiteatre de Verone.

Reference: s22242
Author Pierre MORTIER
Year: 1705 ca.
Zone: Verona
Printed: Amsterdam
Measures: 595 x 474 mm
€380.00

Reference: s22242
Author Pierre MORTIER
Year: 1705 ca.
Zone: Verona
Printed: Amsterdam
Measures: 595 x 474 mm
€380.00

Description

Plate taken from the first volume of the Nouveau Theatre de l'Italie, published in Amsterdam in 1704/5 and 1724, as an addition to the project of Johannes Baleu, begun in 1663, the great libro delle città, lacking the plans of much of the northern part of the peninsula.

Blaeu, during his long editorial activity published three volumes on Italian cities: in 1663 the first three, divided into the State of the Church, Rome and the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily. At his death, his heirs gave birth to two more volumes, dated 1682, focused on the cities of Piedmont and Savoy, then reprinted by other publishers in 1693 and 1697. The French Pierre Mortier publishes a reprint in 1704/5, entitled Nouveau Theatre de l'Italie. The work is in four volumes and includes the plates of Blaeu, retouched and modified in small part, supplemented by the addition of several new maps of his own design, depicting the cities of the northern part of the peninsula, enclosed in the first volume of the work. Mortier's atlas was published with Latin, French and Dutch texts.

The peculiarity that differentiates the two editions of Blaeu and Mortier is represented by the fact that the text is not on the back of the single map (which is therefore white in the back), but is at the beginning of each volume. The great success of the work gave rise to a further reprint, virtually identical, edited by R. Albertsm, published in 1724/5.

 

Copper engraving, in good condition.

Literature

Cremonini pp. 83-90

Pierre MORTIER (1661 - 1711)

Pieter and David Mortier were brothers of French extraction whose publishing interests covered a wide field embracing French and English works as well as Dutch. Pieter was probably trained in the bookselling business in Paris and David spent many years in England; in fact, he acquired British nationality and died there in about 1728. After Pieter's death, his widow continued the business until their son, Cornelis, was able to take over; then, in 1721, Cornelis entered into partnership with his brother-in-law, Johannes Covens, to form the famous name Covens and Mortier, a firm which existed, with slight change of name, until the middle of the nineteenth century. Under the heading Pieter Mortier we give some details of the extensive publishing business which he built up in Amsterdam and which, after his death, was subsequently taken over by his son, the above-named Cornelis. In 1721 Cornelis married the sister of Johannes Covens and in the same year he and Johannes entered into partnership as publishers under the name Covens and Mortier which, with its successors, became one of the most important firms in the Dutch map publishing business. Their prolific output over the years included reissues of general atlases by Sanson, Jaillot, Delisle, Visscher, de Wit (whose stock they acquired) and others (often with re-engraved maps), atlases of particular countries including Germany, England and Scotland and others in Europe, pocket atlases, town plans and, from about 1730 onwards, a series under the title Nieuwe Atlas, some consisting of as many as 900 maps by various cartographers and publishers. As there is no conformity about these volumes they were presumably made up to special order and only general details of publication can be quoted in a work of this size.

Literature

Cremonini pp. 83-90

Pierre MORTIER (1661 - 1711)

Pieter and David Mortier were brothers of French extraction whose publishing interests covered a wide field embracing French and English works as well as Dutch. Pieter was probably trained in the bookselling business in Paris and David spent many years in England; in fact, he acquired British nationality and died there in about 1728. After Pieter's death, his widow continued the business until their son, Cornelis, was able to take over; then, in 1721, Cornelis entered into partnership with his brother-in-law, Johannes Covens, to form the famous name Covens and Mortier, a firm which existed, with slight change of name, until the middle of the nineteenth century. Under the heading Pieter Mortier we give some details of the extensive publishing business which he built up in Amsterdam and which, after his death, was subsequently taken over by his son, the above-named Cornelis. In 1721 Cornelis married the sister of Johannes Covens and in the same year he and Johannes entered into partnership as publishers under the name Covens and Mortier which, with its successors, became one of the most important firms in the Dutch map publishing business. Their prolific output over the years included reissues of general atlases by Sanson, Jaillot, Delisle, Visscher, de Wit (whose stock they acquired) and others (often with re-engraved maps), atlases of particular countries including Germany, England and Scotland and others in Europe, pocket atlases, town plans and, from about 1730 onwards, a series under the title Nieuwe Atlas, some consisting of as many as 900 maps by various cartographers and publishers. As there is no conformity about these volumes they were presumably made up to special order and only general details of publication can be quoted in a work of this size.