Neapolis

Very rare panoramic view of the city from the sea taken from the "Sachsischer Postillon," a work printed in handouts from 1784 to 1804.

The periodical Sachsisher Postillon was a kind of historical-geographical magazine, published in handouts in Vienna, beginning in 1784. The curious and atypical view is etched in etching and burin by George Hisler, who draws the city with a curious Teutonic flair easily seen in the improbable depiction of the city's steeples and building roofs.

Given the peculiar editorial structure of this periodical, the views it contained are very rare and almost always missing from specialized collections and directories.

“The author published for many years, beginning in 1784, a handout magazine, illustrated initially with prints of both historical and sacred character; from 1794, until 1804, numerous city views were then also included, which represented the only illustration. City views in the collection are quite rare, and almost always missing from specialized repertories. The print, which echoes other eighteenth-century prints, depicts the entire city of Naples as seen from the sea together with its immediate surroundings; it has a fine dedicatory at the top, and in the center a medallion depicting Robert, Count Palatine. The field of view is very wide, but topographically unresponsive to reality and with strongly compressed perspective. Very noticeable is the exaggerated development in height of the principal buildings, moreover often clearly recognizable, which echoes the graphic layout of Werner-Probst” (cfr. Sergio della Valle, VENTI VEDUTE GENERALI DI NAPOLI dal ’400 al ’700, 2008).

Copperplate engraving, finely hand-colored, in very good condition.