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A Rare Early Map of Corfu

This is an extremely rare separately published map depicting the island of Corfu (Kerkyra) and parts of the adjacent Greek coastline.

The map is oriented with south at the top and includes a detailed portrayal of Corfu’s fortress city and surrounding landscape.  The map includes coastal features, mountains, rivers, ports, and towns. It provides an idealized view of Corfu's defensive structures, emphasizing its strategic role as a Venetian outpost in the Adriatic Sea. 

The island of Corfu was under Venetian control from 1401 to 1797, serving as a critical defensive outpost for the Republic of Venice. Its location at the entrance to the Adriatic protected Venetian trade routes and prevented Ottoman advances into the upper Adriatic. Despite repeated Ottoman sieges—notably in 1537, 1571, and 1716—Corfu never fell to Turkish forces, making it the only part of Greece not conquered by the Ottoman Empire. This map reflects the importance of the island in Venetian maritime defense, particularly through the detailed depiction of Corfu’s fortifications and surrounding topography. 

The map was engraved and published by Ferrando Bertelli, a lesser-known Venetian engraver and publisher active between 1561 and 1572. Bertelli’s shop was located near San Marco, and he worked closely with prominent mapmakers of the Lafreri school, including Camoscio, Forlani, and Gastaldi. Bertelli specialized in decorative maps and prints, which were often sold to wealthy collectors and merchants.  

The title text recounts Corfu’s mythical foundation by Sisyphus, son of Aeolus, and its subsequent settlement by Corinth, son of Orestes. It describes how the island was later named Malena and eventually Corfi, offering an overview of its geographic characteristics and strategic location.  

The title text translates as follows: Some say that the island of Corfu was first inhabited by Sisyphus the latrone, son of Aeolus, and requested by him Corcyra, which after his death, having been ruined, was again restored by Corinth, son of Orestes, whence it took the name of Corinth, and was later called Malena, today by all it is called Corhi which, as can be seen in the diligently made drawing, as today it is found in being, with all its Villas, Rivers, Ports, Mountains, Secchi, and other things, is of oblong shape, and is distant from Italy for sixty miles, and from Epirus one mile on one Cape, and on the other two miles, its length is approximately quarter miles, and it surrounds almost three hundred miles, Ferado Berteli ext:

Rarity

The map is very rare.

This is the first example we have offered for sale (1992-2025)