Catalog Archive
Auction 118, Lot 730

"Roma", Faleti, Bartolomeo

Subject: Italy, Rome

Period: 1561 (dated)

Publication:

Color: Black & White

Size:
21.7 x 13.7 inches
55.1 x 34.8 cm
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This is an extremely rare plan of ancient Rome designed by the architect Antonio Dosio, engraved by Sebastianus di Regibus Clodiensis, and published by Bartolomeo Faleti of the Lafreri-School. Buildings, walls, roads, etc. are depicted in exceptional detail--down to individual fountains, trees. At bottom is a key to the city gates, bridges, aqueducts, amphitheaters, circuses, temples, etc. The Vatican is prominently depicted in the lower right corner.

The Lafreri-School was not actually a school, but a group of cartographers, mapmakers, engravers and publishers who worked in the major Italian publishing centers of Rome and Venice, from about 1544 to 1585. Originally these publishers issued maps as separate sheets and there was no standardization of size. When they started to sell the maps in bound collections, the lack of size uniformity caused considerable problems for the binder. Some maps had to be folded while the smaller maps had to be enlarged by means of having margins added so they could be bound in a volume of uniform size. Very few separately issued maps of this period survived the centuries unless they were bound into composite atlases.

References:

Condition: B

The map has been trimmed to the neatlines and mounted (first apparently on 16th or 17th century paper, and then again on 19th century paper), as was customary with separately issued maps that were assembled into composite atlases. There are a few light spots and light soil in map.

Estimate: $3,500 - $4,000

Sold for: $4,000

Closed on 3/6/2007

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