Joan Blaeu (c. 1599-1673) (after)
Thermae Diocletiani [Baths of Diocletian]
Circus Maximus
Palatium Farnesiorum in Urbe [Farnese Palace in Rome]
from Citta del Vaticano, Roma and Napoli
Joan Blaeu (heirs), Amsterdam: 1682
or P. Mortier, Amsterdam: 1704-05
Black-and-white engravings
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.
Joan Blaeu Architecturals
Citta del Vaticano, Roma and Napoli, 1682
Citta del Vaticano, Roma and Napoli, 1682
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| Palatium Farnesiorum in Urbe |
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| Thermae Diocletiani | Circus Maximus | |
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Precise perspectival architectural drawings depicting ancient Roman monuments, buildings and architectural complexes as they would have looked when they were first erected. Of course, during Blaeu's era they would have been partially in ruins.
This engraving was originally published by Joan Blaeu, who published three town-books of Italy during his lifetime: Citta del Vaticano, Roma and Napoli. By the year 1672, a fire largely destroyed the main Blaeu workshop, and much of the prepared material. Nonetheless, work on the town-books continued, and in 1682 the completed work was published in Amsterdam by his heirs. The town-books were a great success and reissued several times by different publishers in Amsterdam, as late as 1726. Pierre Mortier reissued all the Blaeu plates in the years 1704-05 in an atlas comprising four volumes with the imprint of “A Amsterdam Chez P. Mortier Avec Privilege.”
The Blaeu family of cartographers, founded by Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) in the 1630s, became the largest printer in 17th century Europe and the leading cartographic publishers during the golden age of Dutch map making. After Willem’s death in 1638, the firm continued under the direction of his sons Cornelis (d. 1642) and Joan (1596-1673) until a fire destroyed the business in 1672. Their works covered the range of cosmography, uranography, hydrography, chorogreaphy and topography. Heirs and successors such as Covens & Mortier continued to publish the Blaeu family’s works into the 18th century.
Willem Blaeu was a surveyor, globemaker and publisher. Up to 1617, he signed his work Guilielmus Janssonius or Willems Jans Zoon, sometimes confused with his contemporary Jan Jansson. His later work was signed G. Blaeu. His early works include a globe from 1599, and maps of European countries and a world map in 1604-08. In 1629 he acquired 37 plates of maps from Jodocus Hondius, and built upon this acquisition to create the great series of atlases that followed. The Blaeu family are best known for their magnificent multi-volume world atlas Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, published in various editions and languages from 1635 (first edition by Willem Blaeu), and reissued variously in 17th century. Another significant Blaeu atlas was Atlas Maior (1662), and a major achievement was Joan Blaeu’s 1648 separately issued map of the world composed of 20 sheets, Nova totius Terrarum orbis Tabula.
References:
Fleet, Christopher. "Joan Blaeu." Pont Maps Biographies. National Library of Scotland. 2000. http://www.nls.uk/pont/bio/blaeu.html (17 September 2002).
Perowne, Stewart. Roman Mythology. New York: Paul Hamlyn, 1969. pp. 58-59.
"Rome Reborn: The Vatican Library & Renaissance Culture." Library of Congress. 2 July, 2002. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/vatican/arch.html (17 September 2002).
Sullivan, Mary Ann. “Rome, Italy: Temple of Fortuna Virilis (Temple of Portunus).” Digital Imaging Project, MAS/BC. http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/romanvirilis/virilis.html (17 December 2004).
Tooley, R.V. Maps and Map-Makers. 4th Ed. New York: Bonanza Books, 1970. pp. 33-34.
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