Mazza, Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista Mazza (fl. c. 1564 - 1589) was an Italian engraver and printer active in Venice in the latter part of the 16th century, known for his finely executed maps and religious prints. His birth, death, and early training remain poorly documented. Distinguished by precise, elegant engraving, Mazza produced several maps marketed by the Venetian publisher Donato Rascicotti, also known as Rasciotti. Among his notable cartographic works was a large world map engraved for Giuseppe Rosaccio in 1597, on which he identified himself as 'Giovan Battista Mazza venetiano Maestro delle stampe della Zecha de Venetia', indicating an association with the Venetian mint. His work extended beyond cartography to religious subjects, including engravings after compositions by Palma il Giovane. Mazza belongs to the generation of Venetian engravers whose craftsmanship supported the city's flourishing trade in separately issued maps and reproductive prints during the closing decades of the Renaissance.
Unrecorded state of a Lafreri-style map of Italy.
L'Italia nobilissima provincia della Europa fu nominata con diversi nomi ...
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This is the 1664 second state of Donato Rasciotti's 'Lafreri School' map of Italy, engraved by Giovanni Battista Mazza and reissued in Venice by Stefano Scolari from the plate first published in 1599. It preserves Giacomo Gastaldi's geographical work through Domenico Zenoi's 1567 adaptation, extending the commercial life of a Renaissance image of Italy well into the following century. Of note, Mazza's exceptional mastery of engraving is evident; here, dense, varied stippling of the seas creates the illusion of roiling waves, setting the peninsula, islands, ships, and engraved ornaments against a vibrant, almost living background. (more details)