Rare separately issued map of Italy, Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia, extending all the way south to Malta and showing the Gulf of Venice and the contiguous Balkans. This map was published by Homann Heirs in 1798 and appears to be a new issue of a map first published in 1790 under the same title.
The map is extremely detailed, with many towns and cities shown, alongside other geographical features. The title cartouche shows the Italian arts, the wolf that mothered Romulus and Remus (the founders of Rome), and the papal coat of arms.
The map extends slightly into France, as far as St. Tropez, and names the Gulf of Venice, Gulf of Genoa, Gulf of Naples, and also shows part of North Africa. In all, a nice map of this peninsular state.
Homann Heirs was a German publishing firm that enjoyed a major place in the European map market throughout the eighteenth century. Founded in 1702 by Johann Baptist Homann, the business passed to his son, Christoph, upon Johann’s death in 1724. Christoph died in 1730, aged only 27, and the firm was inherited by subsequent Homann heirs. This altered the name of the company, which was known as Homann Erben, or Homann heirs. The firm continued in business until 1848.