1567 / 1588 Bird's-Eye View of Venice

This is Ludovico Avanzi's 1567 copper-engraved view of Venice, one of the earliest acquirable.

A Closer Look

The view shows the island city set in the Venetian Lagoon. The principal islands are named, while key structures, such as the Church of St. Mark and St. Mark's Square, are identified with a letter key (printed on the verso.) From as early as 1500, artists depicting Venice seem to have been struck by Venice's unique topography and to have been inspired to produce panoramas or bird's-eye views rather than simple plans. Moretto describes this 'small and modest' view of Venice as derived from the works of Münster and Forlani. The connection to Forlani appears to be clear in the positioning of the surrounding islands, but Forlani's cartography itself derives from Matteo Pagano's 1559 woodcut.

Publication History and Census

This engraving appeared first in the 1567 edition of Leandro Alberti's Descrittione di tutta Italia, which had previously not contained maps. The engraver is not known, but this edition was published by Ludovico Avanzi. The view appeared in some but not all editions of the book. The present example conforms typographically with the 1588 edition of the book, printed by Venice typesetter Altobello Salicato. Various editions of the book are well represented in institutional collections.