|
||
|
|
|
|
This map is a detailed 18th-century cartographic representation of the Bay of Gaeta, on the Italian Mediterranean Coastline, created by the esteemed French cartographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin.
The map captures the strategic coastal and urban layout of the Bay of Gaeta, highlighting its significance as a fortified maritime city. It meticulously depicts the town with detailed fortifications, including the Bastion de la Brèche and the Bastion du Fanal, which were critical in defending the bay. The urban grid is clearly delineated, showcasing the Château and other prominent buildings, along with the adjacent Mont de la Trinité, which dominates the landscape.
In 1764, Gaeta was under the control of the Kingdom of Naples, which was part of the larger Bourbon monarchy. The city was an important strategic military site for the Neapolitan kingdom due to its fortified harbor and prominent location on the Tyrrhenian Sea, which made it a key defensive stronghold in the region.
Jacques-Nicolas Bellin (1703-1772) was among the most important mapmakers of the eighteenth century. In 1721, at only the age of 18, he was appointed Hydrographer to the French Navy. In August 1741, he became the first Ingénieur de la Marine of the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine (the French Hydrographic Office) and was named Official Hydrographer of the French King.
During his term as Official Hydrographer, the Dépôt was the one of the most active centers for the production of sea charts and maps in Europe. Their output included a folio-format sea atlas of France, the Neptune Francois. He also produced a number of sea atlases of the world, including the Atlas Maritime and the Hydrographie Francaise. These gained fame and distinction all over Europe and were republished throughout the eighteenth and even in the nineteenth century.
Bellin also produced smaller format maps such as the 1764 Petit Atlas Maritime, containing 580 finely-detailed charts. He also contributed a number of maps for the 15-volume Histoire Generale des Voyages of Antoine François Prévost.
Bellin set a very high standard of workmanship and accuracy, cementing France's leading role in European cartography and geography during this period. Many of his maps were copied by other mapmakers across the continent.
![[ Italian Mediterranean Coast - Porto Ercole to the Bay of Naples ] Hydrographica descriptio, in qua ore maritime Italiae a monte Argentato Napolim usque, promontoria item & portus, ajacentes insule...](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/97984.jpg)
![[Ostia / Lazio / Rome] Der Statt Ostien und umbligender Landtschafft : gelegenheit und abcontrafactur](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/75245.jpg)
![[Sicily] Partie Meridionale du Royaume De Naples ou se trouvent La Calabre et L'Isle et Royaume de Sicile . . . 1779 [with] Supplement pur L'Isle De Malte](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/102745.jpg)
