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Description

Milestone of Roman Carthography. NOLLI. Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l'anno M DCC XLVIII.

Imperial Folio. 478x365 mm. 19th century quarter calf binding, gilt title and rules on spine, marbled insidecovers. The work is entirely engraved on copper so composed: a sheet with the title, "La topografia di Roma" on double page, "Urbis Ichonographia a Leonardo Bufalino" on double page; a sheet with "Avviso al Lettore," 4 sheets with "Indice de Numeri della Pianta," 12 plates on double page with cartographic sections "La nuova topografia di Roma," 4 sheets with "Indice alfabetico della Pianta." After the sheet of "Notice to the Reader," the sheets are numbered 1-32: Index (pp. 1-4), 12 cartographic sections on double pages (pp. 5-28), index on single page (pp. 29-32).After the sheet with the title is added a plate in two sheets of 350x335 and 350x255 mm: "Panorama de Rome, pris du clocher du Capitole." In the first the circular view of Rome seen from the bell tower of the Senatorial Palace on the Capitoline Hill, with 191 buildings, in the second the legend with 187 toponyms; copper engraving, laid paper, trace of watermark. On the free end-paper the ex-libris "Comte Fernand de Rességuier". Some leaves shorter. Defects on the binding, marginal foxing internally and some traces of humidity, overall a good copy. Rare first edition. Giovanni Battista Nolli's "Nuova pianta di Roma," created between 1736 and 1748, is considered a milestone in the art and science of cartography for the accuracy with which it records the dense urban fabric of Rome at the height of its eighteenth-century beauty: streets, squares, public spaces, villas, vineyards, monasteries and ancient ruins. In short, almost eight square miles of land exquisitely engraved on twelve copper plates and with the indexing of 1320 sites.The work was commissioned by Pope Benedict XIV to survey Rome and help to create the demarcations of the fourteen (14) traditional districts of Rome. It is by far the most accurate description of Rome produced up to that time, at a time when the architectural achievements of the papacy were in full development. Nolli's map reflects Bufalini's 1551 map, however Nolli made a number of important innovations. First, Nolli reorients the city from east (as was conventional at the time) to magnetic north, reflecting the fact that Nolli relies on the compass to orient himself in the city's topography. Second, Nolli represents closed public spaces such as the colonnades of St. Peter's Square and the Pantheon as open civic spaces. Finally, the map represented a significant improvement in terms of accuracy, even detecting the asymmetry of the Spanish Square. The map was used in government planning of the city of Rome until the 1970s; it was used as a base map for all Roman cartography and planning up to that date.This copy contains in addition to Nolli's work: "The topography of Rome" on a double page engraved by Nolli in 1748; "Urbis Ichnographiam a Leonardo Bufalino," the map of ancient Rome by Leonardo Bufalini, originally engraved in 1551, reworked and reduced by G.B. Nolli in 1748; "Panorama de Rome, pris du Clocher du Capitole," copper engraving by an anonymous artist from around 1750. An unusual circular panoramic view of Rome seen from the bell tower of the Palazzo Senatorio on the Capitoline Hill. 191 buildings from across Rome are depicted as they would be seen from the bell tower, including parts of the Palazzo Senatorio and the Piazza del Campidoglio, which are the largest illustrations on the right side of the circle. Basilicas, cathedrals and churches appear alongside ancient ruins, including the Colosseum (143), Trajan's Column (99), St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican. The legend of the toponyms was cut out and glued onto another sheet and contains 187 toponyms.Luigi Ficacci 22, John Wilton-Ely 1007 (1095-5), Millard Architectural Collection, Italian and Spanish Books, p. 234-239.For the 'Panorama': this very rare view was created by an unknown artist and published around 1750, probably for travelers on the "Grand Tour". Three copies in OCLC: Bibliothèque nationale de France, Utrecht University and Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. A specimen also in the Library of Congress.

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Milestone of Roman Carthography. NOLLI. Nuova pianta di Roma data in luce da Giambattista Nolli l'anno M DCC XLVIII.

Estimate 15 000 - 18 000 EUR
Starting price 12 000 EUR

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For sale on Tuesday 16 Jul : 15:00 (CEST)
padova, Italy
Bado e Mart Auctions
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