1600 Quad Map of Sicily, Italy

A rare 1600 map of Sicily, Italy, by Matthias Quad and Johann Bussemacher. There is an engraved portrait of Phillip II of Spain, who, among his other titles, was also King of Sicily. I the upper left corner. Published in Cologne. Quad's imprint appears as a 'Q' in the lower left corner. The map is richly detailed according to 16th century German conventions. Mount Etna, is prominently aflame. Villages and towns are rendered in profile. There is a baroque title cartouche top center and the royal crest of the Kingdom of Sicily, right center. Cartographically, this map is derived from the 1545 map of Sicily by Giacomo Gastaldi.

The distinctive style of this map is reflective of the Cologne school, which prospered in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. When Dutch and Flemish refugees, many well educated, fled religious persecution in the Netherlands, they set up shop in Cologne, turning it into one of Europe's great map publishing centers. The style is reminiscent of 16th century Dutch work, with stippled seas, baroque cartouches, and Latin content. Prominant cartographers of the Cologne school include Quad Matthaeus, Johannes Metellus, Giovanni Botero and Franz Hogenberg.

The map was engraved by Johann Bussemacher and published by Matthias Quad in Cologne. There are three editions, of which this is the second. It was published in the 1600 edition of Quad's Geographisch Handt-buch. An earlier edition dates to 1594, and a later edition was published in 1608. Cartographically all editions are identical.