La fortezza di Portolongone

View of the city taken from the Neapolitan edition of the work of Thomas Salmon, Lo stato presente di tutti i paesi e popoli del mondo naturale, politico e morale con nuove osservazioni degli antichi e modemi viaggiatori. Scritto in inglese dal signor Salmon. Tradotto in olandese e franzese ed ora in italiano, in questa seconda edizione più corretto in Naples, by Francesco Ricciardo (later Vincenzo Mazzola and Angelo Vocola) 1738-1767.

The work, whose original title was Modern history, or the present state of all nations, was translated from English and printed for the first time in Venice by Albrizzi (1737-1766). The publisher Francesco Ricciardi realized a pirated copy, in Naples, starting from 1738. The collection, in 25 tomes, was printed from 1738 to 1753 by Ricciardi; starting from the 18th volume, by Vincenzo Mazzola and Angelo Vocola. The plates were engraved by Francesco Sesone and Francesco Cepparuli.

In particular, Sesone was one of the most industrious engravers in 18th century Naples, producing a large number of plates for books on archaeology. Giovanni Gori Gandellini says of Sesone: Roman, attended the profession of carving under the direction of Frezza, and in fact succeeded as a great designer, and engraver burin, and strong water. He did not leave to bring back in print many works of talented men with an admirable sweetness and with great vagueness. He lived in Naples in 1733 with great fame at the age of 28 years [...] He was not a novice, and this is demonstrated by the work done even before '40: with Ricciardi had engraved, designed by Ferdinando Sanfelice, a plate for a celebratory text, and others for a work of Thomas Salmon very popular in those years.

Copper engraving, in good condition.