Il Cadorino

Field: Arts and Humanities (Social Sciences)

"First edition of the first printed atlas of Italy. Italia. Bologna: Sebastiano Bonomi, 1620. Folio, engraved allegorical title by Olivero Gatto printed within typographical border, 61 engraved maps as called for in index (all but 3 double-page), in fine dark impression, engraved portrait of Magini, text on 15 leaves. Seventeenth-century red morocco, gilt, sides panelled in gilt and blind, gilt edges.The atlas was undertaken by Magini in 1594 and finally completed after his death in 1617 by his son Fabio in 1620. The early maps were engraved by the three Arnoldi brothers, but after the return of the two surviving brothers to Holland in 1603 Magini employed the Englishman Benjamin Wright to complete the engraving. Wright engraved 11 of the maps. The portrait is supplied: it is not called for in this edition, and appeared first in the second edition of 1632. As a cartographer, Magini's life's work was the preparation of Italia or the Atlante geografico d'Italia (Geographic Atlas of Italy). This was intended to include maps of every Italian region with exact nomenclature and historical notes. A major project, its production (begun in 1594) proved expensive and Magini assumed various additional posts in order to fund it, including becoming tutor in mathematics to the sons of Vincenzo I of Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, a major patron of the arts and sciences. He also served as court astrologer. The Duke of Mantua, to whom the atlas is dedicated, assisted him with this project and allowed for maps of the various states of Italy to be brought to Magini. The governments of Messina and Genoa also assisted Magini financially in this project. Magini did not do any of the mapping himself. Magini first started work on this important atlas in 1594, but publication was beset by a series of problems beyond his control. The initial engraving was entrusted to the Dutchman Arnoldo di Arnoldi, joined in 1600 by his brother Jacobo. However, the same year, Arnoldo was lured away by the promise of higher wages to work for Matteo Florimi in Siena. Jacobo remained in Magini's employ for two more years, but then went to join his brother, only to find Arnoldo had died in the interim. He resumed work for Magini, with his younger brother, but when Jacobo became ill, early in 1603, the two surviving brothers returned to the Netherlands. Magini's attractive atlas provides a comprehensive series of Italian maps for the first part of the 17th century, combining the traditional styles of the Italian map maker with features used in North European mapping, such as the 'Mercator' style wavy lines for the sea patterns." (Filip Devroe, 2020). This copy is from the Wardington Library sale, 2005.. The second edition was published in 1630/32, and the third edition was published in 1642. The maps were unchanged between editions, but the text pages were reset. In 1608, In 1608, Magini produced the first wall map of Italy to improve on that of Gastaldi: his meticulously researched and beautifully engraved 8-sheet Italia Nuova was hugely influential: upon its publication, Blaeu promptly copied it to produce his own wall map of Italy; the rest of the mapmaking establishment swiftly followed suit. Consequently, virtually every 17th century map of Italy can be identified as a derivative of Magini's monumental achievement.