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Description

Important and highly decorative plan of Florence by Ferdinando Ruggieri, which appeared in Giuseppe Zocchi's monumental illustrated work on Florence and Tuscany.

A very fine plan of 18th-century Florence, which appeared in the monumental view book of one of the four greatest Italian view painters of the Giuseppe Zocchi period. What Francesco Guardi and Canaletto did for Venice and Giovanni-Battista Piranesi did for Rome, Giuseppe Zocchi (1711-1767) did for Florence. The Marchese Andrea Gerini commissioned Zocchi to record all the greatest landmarks in Florence and its environs, which he did in a series of drawings that are now in the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York. These drawings were translated into engravings by Zocchi and a number of other engravers and issued in two series in 1744, titled Scelta XXIV vedute delle principali contrade, piazze, chiese, e palazzi della città di Firenze and Vedute delle ville e d'altri luoghi della Toscana. Little is known of Zocchi's life: he was born near Florence and studied in Venice and Bologna, a painter as well as a draughtsman, he was the official designer for the Pietre Dure (the so-called "Florentine mosaic") factory in Florence from 1754 to 1760.

Ferdinando Ruggieri's plan of Florence was first drawn in 1731 and is one of the most important and sought after plans of Florence from the period. In this appearance of the map in 1755, it is the only map to appear in this important and now quite rare work. In addition to the detailed plan of the city, it includes fine decorative embellishments and demonstrates the extraordinary engraving style which characterizes the highest skill levels of Italian copper plate engraving work of the period. Zocchi's 2 volume work is quite rare on the market and a complete example was offered for sale in Rome for $70,000 in 2008. Because of the importance of the book, the map rarely appears on the market.

The last appearance of the map in a printed dealer catalogue was Martayan Lan Catalogue 100, entry 26 (1999).

Reference
Boffito, A., Firenze nelle Vedute e Piante, p.78-9