[...] Descrittione Particolare di tutti i luoghi, cosi maritimi, come fra terra ch so da Venetia al mar maggiore...

Paolo Forlani's extremely rare map celebrating victory at the Battle of Lepanto

Important geographical document of the eastern Mediterranean by Paolo Forlani, printed in Venice Simone Pinargenti in 1571. Dated December 1571, it shows the routes of the Christian Armada at the victorious Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571.

The cartouche in the upper right-hand corner reads: Al Molto Mag.co et mio Sig.re il Sig.or Lodovico del Bene, del Sig.or Aluise Nob: Veronese. SVBITO ch’io intesi, che V.S. era tornata salva in Venetia; feci risolutione di farle dono di q[ue]sta p[rese]nte mia fatica: non perche io la reputi eguale a’ suoi molti meriti, & al suo singolar valore, mostrato in questa feliciss.a giornata navale co[n]tro i Turchi: ma p[er]che io no[n] ha altro mezo migliore da discoprirle l’allegrezza, c’ho se[n]tita de gli honori, che .V.S. s’ha gloriosame[n]te acquistati, et dello sple[n]dore, c’ha accresciuto alla nobilissima famiglia sua, et all’Ill. patria, co[n] far cosi alti et honorati seruitij a q[ue]sta immortal Republica. La p[re]go ad accettar benigname[n]te q[ue]sta mia Carta: percio che guarda[n]dola V.S. alcuno volta, et trova[n]doci i luoghi, dove ha essercitato il suo valore, et dove la Christianita tutta ha riscevuto p[er] gra[tia]: di Dio, con gra[nde] vittoria, ne riceverà qualche diletto: et cosi raccoma[n] da[n]domeli, prego il S.re DIO, che le faciliti la Strada, da acquisitar quella immortalita che co[n] ta[n]ta sua gloria si procure co[n] la virtu sua. Segue: DESCRITTIONE Particolare di tutti i luoghi cosi maritimi, come fra terra ch[e] so[no] da’ Venetia al mar maggiore, comp[re]nde[n]doci il Golfo, Corfu, la Cefalonia, il Za[n]te, tutta la Morea, l’jsola di Ca[n]dia, et di Negropo[n]te, l’Arcipelago, il Golfo di Saloincco, lo stretto di Costa[n]tatinopoli, fino al mar maggiore: et poi tutta la Caramania, l’isola di Cipro, la Soria, l’Egitto, la costa di Barberia, fino alle Gerbe, co[n] l’isola di Malta, et di Sicilia; et fra terra tutto il corso del Danubio. Di Venetia a XXII Dicembre M.D.LXXI. Paolo Forlani Veronese. In the center of the map, to the east of Sicily, is a small cartouche that provides the table reading and editorial imprint: Da queste linee si trovano facilmente i luoghi principali, dove possa andar l’armata Christiana a danno de’ Turchi. Simon Pinargenti excudebat. Orientation with a sixteen-wind rose: the four principal winds and four half winds are indicated with the initial letter, north being at the top. Map lacks graphic scale and graduation in the margins.

The map, dedicated to Lodovico del Bene (captain of a Venetian vessel at Lepanto) is very accurate in describing port locations and highlights, through route lines, ports that could be used for attacks against the fleet of the Ottoman Empire. The map is printed in 1571 to celebrate the victory against the Turks in the naval battle of Lepanto, as confirmed by the inscription preceding the imprint of publisher Simone Pinargenti: Da queste linee si trovano facilmente i luoghi principali, dove possa andar l’armata Christiana a danno de’ Turchi. [From these lines are easily found the principal places, where the Christiana army may go to the harm of the Turks].

The famous naval battle took place opposite Lepanto at the western end of the Gulf of Patras and involved the Turkish and Holy Alliance fleets. The victory over the Turkish armies stopped their advance into Europe and protected Rome from invasion. The event for the time was truly relevant and resounding, sparking the interest of many artists as well. There are several interpretations of the subject in Venice, all due to merchants, engravers and cartographers such as Nicolò Nelli, Domenico Zenoi, the Bertellis, Martino Rota and Giovanni Francesco Camocio.

Example in the first state of two, lacking the milestone scale above the lower marginal border, as indicated in Bifolco-Ronca, who describes only six known institutional examples of this map: “Carta del Mediterraneo orientale di Paolo Forlani, stampata a Venezia dall’editore Simone Pinargenti nel 1571. La carta, dedicata a Lodovico del Bene, è molto accurata nel descrivere le località portuali e mette in evidenza, attraverso delle linee di rotta, i porti che potevano essere usati per gli attacchi contro la flotta dell’Impero Ottomano. La mappa è infatti stampata nel 1571, per celebrare la vittoria contro i Turchi nella battaglia di Lepanto. Il primo stato della carta è privo della scala grafica in basso. Dal punto di vista cartografico, il Forlani si avvale sicuramente della sua carta dell’Europa stampata sempre nel 1571 e di derivazione mercatoriana, ma sono presenti anche elementi geografici desunti da modelli gastaldini” (cfr. Bifolco-Ronca, Cartografia e topografia italiana del XVI secolo, p. 718).

Paolo Forlani, a native of Verona, opened his own chalcographic workshop in Venice, Al segno del pozzo, in 1560, as reflected in some of his works. From 1566 he was active in Merzaria al segno della colonna and from 1569 in Merzaria al segno della nave. Forlani had business relationships with the major publishers of cartographic material of the time, among them Antonio Lafreri, the Bertelli family, and others. In addition to being a talented engraver, he was also quick to execute, a quality that enabled him to work for different publishers at the same time, and to execute a large amount of work. Woodward attributes about one hundred works to Forlani, most of which, however, are unsigned. Between 1560 and 1567, Forlani collaborated with Ferrando Bertelli, for whom he engraved about ten copperplates, with Camocio, Bolognino Zaltieri, and with Claudio Duchetti, for whom he engraved some maps. For his professional activity, however, the collaboration with Giacomo Gastaldi, for whom he engraved thirteen maps, was very important and valuable. In 1567 Forlani published and traded his work Il primo libro delle città et fortezze principali del mondo, whose branches later passed to Bolognino Zaltieri. It is likely that Forlani died during the plague that spread through Venice from 1575.

Simone Pinargenti was publisher, bookseller and dealer in prints active in Venice between 1570 and 1577. In 1573 he was one of the few to obtain the privilege, or authorization of all0'esercizio publisher, by Francesco Patrizio. Described as a "seller Libraro et de banner designs predictive" (sign of the Sibyl) in a contract made with the publisher Michele Tramezzino in 1577. His cartographic production dates back to 1570-74, the small cards produced between 1570 and 1571 and are subsequently collected in the famous Isolario known as the Islands who are from Dalmatia in Venetia et throughout the archipelago as far as Constantinople, the 1573. The project is carried out in close competition with the famous Isolario Camocio (1571), a large number of plates is Pinargenti signed by himself and some others are dated 1570 and 1571. Are sometimes included in the work sheets of other publishers, especially Nicolò Nelli. The minor commercial success of the work prevented their wide dissemination, making it very rare is the collection and individual works.

Etching and engraving, signed in plate, printed on contemporary laid paper without watermark, with margins, in excellent condition.

Extraordinary example of this very rare map; sold in Sotheby's London, The Travel Sale: Books, Maps, Atlases, Natural History and Topographical Pictures, 2000, lot 331, then belonged to an important Cypriot private collection.

Bibliografia

Bifolco-Ronca, Cartografia e Topografia Italiana del XVI secolo, Catalogo ragionato delle opere a stampa (2018), pp. 718-719, tav. 241, I/II; Borroni Salvadori (1980): n. 101; Cartografia Rara (1986): n. 43; Lago (2002): p. 450, fig. 451; Tooley (1939): n. 38; Woodward (1990): n. 95; Woodward (1992): n. 57; Zacharakis (1992): n. 1031; Zacharakis (2009): n. 1534.