Subject: Italy
Period: 1730 (circa)
Publication:
Color: Hand Color
Size:
22.4 x 19.1 inches
56.9 x 48.5 cm
This fascinating map delineates Italy's postal routes. It extends to show Corsica, Sardinia, northern Sicily (with an erupting Mount Etna), and the Dalmatian coast. The decorative title cartouche underlines the postal theme with a vignette of two couriers on horseback and Mercury, the messenger god of commerce, communication, and travel, with his caduceus and winged sandals and hat. The history of postal services can be traced back to the Roman Empire and the establishment of the cursus publicus by the Emperor Augustus.
References:
Condition: B+
Contemporary color on a lightly toned sheet with the watermark of a Maltese cross encircled in rosary beads. There are some small separations along the centerfold, a few edge tears, and some tiny wormholes that have been professionally repaired on verso.