Uncommon and decorative bird's-eye fortification plan of Oudenarde, site of one of the most important battles in the War of the Spanish Succession. The unusual plan emphasizes the military rather than the internal layout of the city depicting only the military barracks and the interior and exterior walls and canals. The surrounding countryside is graphically depicted with fields and marshes. A view of the city is inset at upper left.

Gualdo Priorato entered military service at a very young age and served in Flanders under the Prince of Orange. During his varied military career he was knighted by the King of France and the Venetian Republic, the Pope made him a Roman noble, Christina of Sweden named him First-Gentleman, and Emperor Leopold I appointed him counselor and historiographer. After his retirement, he authored several historical accounts including the Teatro del Belgio, which described the Catholic/Protestant wars in Belgium and Netherlands during the seventeenth century.

References: Pollak #48.

Condition: A