Very uncommon plan of the fortifications of Mechelen. 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 the Netherlands during the seventeenth century. His superb plans do not show the internal layout of the cities, except for showing the locations of the major churches. Instead the emphasis is on the fortification enclosure and the outworks, as well as on the surrounding countryside, rivers and canals.

References: Pollak #48 (illustrated p. 83).

Condition: B+

Some thin paper along the centerfold, else very good.