Prospettiva della Bellissima Citta di Fiorenza, Metropoli del Gran Duca di Toscana

The title PROSPETTIVA DELLA BELLISSIMA CITTA' DI FIORENZA METROPOLI DEL GRAN DUCA DI TOSCANA [Prospective of the Beautiful City of Florence Metropolis of the Grand Duke of Tuscany] is in one line above the box. Below the box, in twelve columns, we find forty-eight toponymic references. On the Florentine lily is the motto: florida Florentia floret. On the upper left the Medici coat of arms; on the right the Florentine lily.

The view is clearly derived, even in figurative detail, from that of Matthaeus Merian published in Frankfurt in 1638. It reproduces the model published in Georg Braun-Franz Hogenberg, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, printed in Antwerp in 1572. With some variations, such as the widening of the river and great development is given to the pictorial elements in the landscape around the city.

The image is in the center of the sheet printed in Bologna by Giuseppe Longhi. Above the large view of Florence are aligned eight small views of cities in Tuscany (Siena, Pisa, Livorno, Volterra, Arezzo, Borgo Sansepolcro, Pistoia, Lucca). On the sides are figures of noble merchants, artisans, and peasants in traditional costumes. Below, outside the frame and in four columns, a long typographical text containing a historical description of the city and the others represented in the panel, entitled: Descrizione della città di fiorenza metropoli del serenissimo gran duca, et altre della Toscana, loro siti, origine, famiglie nobili, et altre cose più segnalate, che sono in esse. 

Giuseppe Longhi (Bologna 1620-1691) was an active publisher and printer, also known for a rich book production. He worked at the following Bolognese addresses: Sotto le Scuole; Alla fabbrica di San Petronio; All'ospedale di Santa Maria della Morte; In via Orefici, in the palazzo Mantecuccoli. His period of activity was from 1650 to 1691.

Also very famous are his large views of Italian cities, drawn following the iconographic model of early 17th-century Dutch panoramas and supplemented by figurative decoration typical of the Dutch cartography of the likes of Blaeu, Janssonius and Visscher.

Beautiful impression, printed from two plates and two typographical sheets for text, some paper creases and restoration in lower right corner of legend text, otherwise in very good condition. A very rare view with fine colouring.

Bibliografia

Boffito, G., Mori, A., Piante e vedute di Firenze. Studio storico topografico cartografico, Roma, 1973, p.74; Ganado (1994) vol. III, n. 124.