Catalog Archive
Auction 170, Lot 590

"Valletta Citta Nova di Malta", Merian, Matthaus

Subject: Valletta, Malta

Period: 1638 (circa)

Publication: Topographia

Color: Black & White

Size:
13.9 x 10.8 inches
35.3 x 27.4 cm
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This stunning bird's-eye view of Malta's capital city features excellent detail of its famous fortifications and Baroque architecture. A key at top left identifies 41 sites of interest, including Saint John's Co-Cathedral, Grandmaster's Palace, and the Holy Infirmary. An inset map showing Malta and Gozo appears in a decorative cartouche at bottom right. There is a compass rose at right that orients the north to bottom right and includes at its center a small map of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, and Malta. A coat-of-arms completes the composition at bottom left.

References:

Condition: B+

A fine impression on a watermarked sheet with a few tiny holes along the centerfold at bottom that have been repaired on verso with archival materials. There are two damp stains and light soiling confined to the blank margins.

Estimate: $475 - $600

Sold for: $350

Closed on 11/14/2018

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