"[Lot of 5 - Fortification Plans]", Priorato, Galaezzo Gualdo

Five uncommon fortification plans from this interesting series. Gualdo Priorato entered military service at a very young age and served in Flanders under the Prince of Orange. During his varied military career he was knighted by the King of France and the Venetian Republic, the Pope made him a Roman noble, Christina of Sweden named him First-Gentleman, and Emperor Leopold I appointed him counselor and historiographer. After his retirement, he authored several historical accounts including the Teatro del Belgio, which described the Catholic/Protestant wars in Belgium and Netherlands during the seventeenth century. His superb plans do not show the internal layout of the cities, except for showing the locations of the major churches. Instead the emphasis is on the fortification enclosure and the outworks, as well as on the surrounding site, rivers and canals. Sizes vary slightly.

1) Zutphen depicts the simplified fortifications with only four buildings within the walls, and cattle in the outlying fields.
2) Lillo and Liefkens Hoeck on one sheet , both on the Shelde River. The ships and artillery are noted.
3) Campen shows the large fortification surrounding a few buildings with ships passing by on the Isel River.
4) Danvilliers and Thonville on one sheet with an interesting view of the army camp showing soldiers playing dice, marching, and other pursuits.
5) Genep is a simple depiction of the fortifications, showing warships sailing along the Mosa River while stags cavort in the surrounding fields.

References: Pollak #48.

Condition: B+

A little bit of faint foxing, mostly in the blank margins. Later color with a bit of bleed through on verso. Map 2 with a wormhole in the Lillo plan and a wormtrack in blank margin.