Parmae et Placentiae Ducatus


Name of map     : Parmae et Placentiae Ducatus;

Cartographer    : Ortelius (1527-1598)/Vrients

Stock number    : 1842

Map number      : Ort 132; (Koeman Atlantes Neerlandici III): 156

State number of plate: 0

Copy from edition: 1608 Italian; Page signature: 91;

Estimated number of copies printed: 1050

Estimated number of loose copies in circulation: 17

Area displayed  : Parma, Cremona, Piazenza and surroundings;

Plate size      : 364 x 480 mm;

Paper size      : 451 x 555 mm;

Margins, left   : 37  mm,  right: 40  mm;

         upper  : 44  mm,  lower: 42  mm;

Paper thickness and quality: heavy and strong;

Paper   color   : overall browning;

Age of map colour: uncoloured, except for cartouches, see below;

Imperfections

     margins    : none;

     plate area : none;

     verso      : a few inkspots in lower left corner;

Overall quality :perfect/excellent/very good/good/fair/mediocre/poor

This map represents a preprint from the as yet unfinished plate. The upper left corner, which later is to contain a cartouche with a scale with 20 Miliaria Italica is as yet empty, and has been filled with a cut out, empty cartouche with light red frame and white inner area, which has been glued into place. A river leading from this area into the Po has only faintly been engraved as a thin line. Later, it is to be a firm double line.

The lower left of the plate is also empty. This print has been filled in with a handdrawn cartouche in brown ink with a lion's head on top and a children's head at the midbottom. The field contains the handwritten title Parmae, et Placentiae Ducatus, with an ornamental leaf underneath. As in the left top, rivers and particularly mountains only appear in thin outline and in much smaller number than later on regular prints. The present handdrawn cartouche is very different from the cartouche later appearing in regular offprints. In spite of the regular Italian text appearing at the back which suggests use in an atlas, we clearly have an example of a print from an as yet unfinished copper plate.

Price           : € Euro  2000


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