1551 Salamanca Map of Mirandola, Italy (Venice, Bologna, Mantua, Parma, Ferrara, Modena)

Pictorial representation of the Eastern Po Valley in during the Italian Wars.

This is a c. 1551 Lafreri-school map of the eastern Po Valley issued by Antonio Salamanca in Rome to illustrate the historic siege of Mirandola, a key episode in the Italian Wars (1494 - 1559) between the Papacy and the imperial interests of Valois France. The map is striking for its fine engraving and accurate vignette presentation of the Po Valley cities and those adjacent.

A Closer Look

Centred on the overzied fortress of Mirandola, coverage embraces the eastern Po Valley, extending from Venice (upper right, as Plaza San Marco) to Bologna (lower right, with its own leaning tower), and from Mantua (upper left, situated on its lake) to Reggio Emelia (lower left). Parma appears along the left border, Ferrara is along the border at right center, and Modena is at bottom center. While the map is not drawn to scale, Mirandola and the other centers (as above) are enlarged significantly and illustrated pictorially to highlight their significance in the context of the map. Roads between towns, and the region's main artery, the Po River, are illustrated. An arrow near Tramonta indicates north.

Siege of Mirandola

The conflict between Pope Julius III and the House of Pico della Mirandola in the early 1550s was part of the broader political and military tensions of the Italian Wars (Habsburg-Valois Wars; 1494 - 1559), pitting papal and imperial interests against those of France. The Pico family, lords of the small but strategically located city of Mirandola, had long balanced their allegiance between powerful neighbors, but under Galeotto II Pico (1493 - 1550), they openly sided with France. This defiance angered Pope Julius III (r. 1500 - 1555), who sought to reassert papal authority over northern Italy and prevent Mirandola from becoming a French stronghold. In 1551, papal troops, supported by imperial allies, besieged Mirandola, hoping to subdue Galeotto and restore obedience to Rome. The city's fortifications, however, proved formidable, and despite heavy bombardment, Mirandola resisted successfully. The episode epitomized the struggle between small Italian principalities striving to maintain autonomy and the overwhelming power of the papacy and empire during the turbulent mid-sixteenth century.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved c. 1551 by Antonio Salamanca and printed in Rome. There are 4 known states, this is the second:

1. State 1: Without Salamanca's monogram.
2. State 2: With the imprint A. S. ex. (Present Example)
3. State 3: Salamanca's address is replaced by that of Niccolò Van Aelst.
4. State 4: Imprint changed to Joseph de Rubeis formis.

A similar map (Bifolco-Ronca #77), but a fully different plate, was issued in Bologna by Bononiae Gobbi, though survives in only 2 examples, both in Italy. Of the present map, Bifolco notes holdings in 12 libraries, only 1 of which is in the United States (Chicago Newberry Library). No market history.

Cartographer

Antonio Salamanca (Martinez de Salamanca; April 4, 1479 - July 11, 1562) was a Spanish-born Italian book-seller, publisher, and engraver active in Rome in the early to mid-1500s. Antonio was born in Salamanca, Spain. He relocated to Rome around 1505-10 and by 1517 had a bookstore in the Campo dei Fiori. The Clementine Census of 1526-1527 indicates that 9 people worked and lived in his shop, suggesting an extremely successful enterprise. Salamanca played a key role in republishing and disseminating Spanish literary work in Italy, including Amadís de Gaula (1519), La Celestina (1520), and Las sergas del muy virtuoso caballero Esplandián (1525), among others. In 1532, he married a Roman woman, Sigismonda Viccardi, likely his second marriage. His first published engraving, a collection of engravings on mythological topics, was also issued in 1532. In 1546, he joined the Academy of the Virtuosos of the Pantheon, an Italian association of painters. From 1553, he collaborated with the French-Italian publisher and map-seller Antonio Lafreri (1512 - 1577). His son, Francesco Salamanca, followed in his footsteps as an engraver. He is interred at the church San Lorenzo in Damaso, Rome.   Further Details...

Condition

Excellent. Striking strong impression with slight haze indicating an early impression of the plate.

References

Bifolco, S. / Ronca, F., Cartografia e Topografia Italiana del XVI Secolo, #1146 (second state). Bifolco–Ronca (2014), no. 78.