Pivati, Gianfrancesco
Gianfrancesco Pivati (1689 - 1764 ) was an Italian printer and writer. Although a scholar of natural sciences, he is primarily known for his ten-volume Nuovo Dizionario Scientifico E Curioso Sacro-Profano (the New Scientific and Curious Dictionary, Sacred and Profane.) He also produced, in 1750, a text discussing the possibly uses of electricity in medicine. In 1733 he was made superintendent of printing for the University of Padua.
Scarce view of Damascus.
Città di Damasco.
$550.00
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This is an attractive, scarce example of Gianfrancesco Pivati's view of the Syrian city of Damascus, printed in 1747 for inclusion in Pivati's Nuovo Dizionario Scientifico E Curioso Sacro-Profano. The view is intended to portray the contemporaneous Muslim walled city. Its mosques are prominent, recognizable by the crescent atop towers and minarets. Spare trees and barren hillsides loom in the background. Smaller towns appear in the foreground along the road to Damascus. While it does not resemble the prior views of the city produced by 'Braun and Hogenberg' and 'Olfert Dapper,' it shares in common with these the reality that Pivati did not visit the places depicted in his dictionary. So, the depiction of the city relies on a combination of travelers' reports and imagination. It nonetheless remains one of the few acquirable, early views of Damascus. (more details)