|
||
|
|
|
|
Spectaculair view of Rialto bridge in Venice, as seen from up river.
Pedestrians and porters appear on shore, with other pedestrians crossing the bridge, and the canal itself is full of boats.
This decorative view was originally published by Joannes Blaeu for his three town-books of Italy; Citta del Vaticano, Roma and Napoli. In 1672, a fire largely destroyed the main Blaeu workshop, and much of the prepared material. However, work on the town-book continued, and in 1682 the completed work was published in Amsterdam by the heirs of Joan Blaeu.
The town-book was a great success and reissued several times by different publishers in Amsterdam, as late as 1726. Pierre Mortier re-issued all the Blaeu plates in the years 1704 and 1705 in an atlas comprising four volumes. The plates are now signed "A Amsterdam chez Pierre Mortier".
Pierre, or Pieter, Mortier (1661-1711) was a Dutch engraver, son of a French refugee. He was born in Leiden. In 1690 he was granted a privilege to publish French maps in Dutch lands. In 1693 he released the first and accompanying volume of the Neptune Francois. The third followed in 1700. His son, Cornelis (1699-1783), would partner with Johannes Covens I, creating one of the most important map publishing companies of the eighteenth century.
![[Composite Lafreri-style Atlas of Battle Plans and Fortifications]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/92702.jpg)
