The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22608

Among the most beautiful and compelling works of Renaissance art, painted maps adorned the halls and galleries of princely palaces. This book is the first to discuss in detail the three-dimensional display of these painted map cycles and their full meaning in Renaissance culture.

Art historian Francesca Fiorani focuses on two of the most significant and marvelous surviving Italian map murals—the Guardaroba Nuova of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, commissioned by Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, and the Gallery of Maps in the Vatican, commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII. Both cycles were not only pioneering cartographic enterprises but also powerful political and religious images. Presenting an original interpretation of the interaction between art, science, politics, and religion in Renaissance culture, the book also offers fresh insights into the Medici and papal courts.

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Author

PublisherYale University Press

Print publication date June 2005 (out of print)

Print ISBN 9780300107272

EISBN 9780300270464

Illustrations 162

Print Status out of print

Publisher (out of print)

WorldCat

Google Books

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List of illustrations

Guardaroba Nuova
Central Asia (Sogdiana)
Gallery of Maps
Map of the Territory of Perugia (Perusinus ac Tifernas)
Palazzo Vecchio, Florence
Sala Grande
Guardaroba Nuova
Reconstruction of the original sequence of the map panels in the Guardaroba Nuova
Map of Arabia (Arabia)
The Strait of Magellan
List of Portraits in the Museum of the Most Illustrious and Excellent Signor Cosimo, Duke of Florence and Siena
Indian Chicken (Gallina Indica)
Terza Loggia
Saturn Castrating Heaven
Saturn Receiving the Tribute of the Earth
Putti Holding a Globe
Hercules Holding the Globe
Design for a Fountain with the Labors of Hercules
Allegorical Relief
Triumphal Arch at Porta Romana for Charles V's entry into Milan
Allegorical Portrait of Charles V
Instrument of the First Mover (Instrumentum Primi Mobili)
Astrolabe
Astronomical Quadrant
Armillary Sphere
Trattato dell'uso et della fabrica dell'astrolabio
The Incoronation of Cosimo I, detail
The Coronation of Cosimo I
Guardaroba Nuova, view from the Sala dei Gigli
Glass Window
Damascene spherical perfume-burner
Sportello for one of Cosimo's studies
Tesoretto
Map of the World (Nova totius terrarum orbis iuxta neotericorum traditiones descriptio), detail
Map of Hindustan Outside the Ganges (Indostan fuori il Gange)
Studiolo of Francesco I
Celadon Plate and Vase
Map of China (China)
Falcon hood with ivory stand bearing the Medici-Toledo coat of arms
Map of Armenia (Armenia)
Mixteco-Pueblo Mask
Map of Mexico (Nuova Spagna)
Oliphant bearing the Medici-Toledo coat of arms
Map of Côte d'Avoire (Parte dell'Agisamba)
Map of the Known World
First Map of Europe (Tabula Europae I)
Modern Map of the British Isles (Anglia et Hibernia Nova)
Cosmographia universalis
Theatrum orbis terrarum
Geography. Modern Geographical Maps…collected and arranged according to Ptolemy's order
Tenth Map of Europe (Tabula Europae X)
Muscovy (Moschovia)
Liber cosmographicus
Modern Map of the World for Navigators (Nova et aucta orbis terrae descriptio ad usum navigatium)
Map of the World (Cosmographia universalis)
Map of Europe
Map of the Scandinavian Peninsula (Norvegia Gotiae)
Map of the British Isles (Isole Britanniche, le quali co(n)tengono il Regno di Inghilterra et di Scotia con L'Hibernia)
Map of the British Isles (Britania insula quae duo regna continet Angliam et Scotiam cum Hibernia adiacente)
Livonia and Lithuania (Livonia et Lituania)
Map of Russia, Moscovy, and Tartary (Russiae Moschoviae et Tartariae Descriptio)
Madagascar (Isola di San Lorenzo)
Africa
Map of Africa (Il disegno della geografia moderna de tutta la parte dell'Africa)
Map of the Western Coast of Africa (Libia interiore)
Map of East and South-east Asia (Il disegno della terza parte dell'Asia)
Map of India (Parte del India Dentro al Gange Hoggi detta Indostan)
Map of Indochina and Indonesia
Map of China and Japan
Map of the Moluccas Islands (L'Isole Moluche con l'altre circonvicine che producano le gioie et le spetierie)
Map of Asia (Asiae orbis partium maximae nova descriptio)
Map of the World (Nova totius terrarum orbis iuxta neotericorum traditiones descriptio)
Map of South America and Strait of Magellan
Map of California (Le ultime parti nel Indie occidentali)
Map of the Mexican Gulf
Zeno Map (Carta da navegar de Nicolo et Antonio Zeni)
Map of Greenland (Gronlandia)
The Old Dominion of Florence
The Sienese State
Tribuna
The Opening of the Porta Santa in St. Peter's for the Holy Year
The Seven Churches of Rome (Le sette chiese di Roma)
The Arrival of Gregory Nazianzus's Relics in St. Peter's
Reconstruction of the original layout of the Sala Bologna, Vatican (not to scale)
Map of Bologna
Map of the Territory of Bologna
Sky Map
Sala della Cosmografia
Map of Bologna
Portrait of Egnazio Danti
Anemographia
Grotesque
Map of the Territory of Perugia (Perusinus ac Tifernas)
Map of the Territory of Perugia (Descrittione del Territorio di Perugia Augusta)
Map of the Territory of Bologna (Bononiensis Ditio)
Flaminia
Latium
Map of the Territory of Orvieto (Urbis Veteris Antiquae Ditionis Descriptio)
Radius latinus
Giulio Danti's Surveying Instrument
The Palace of Signor Della Volta
Villa of Count Ercolani, Bologna
The Town of Castelfranco
The Villages of Castel San Pietro and Vargnano
View of the Belvedere Courtyard
Gallery of Maps
North Entrance, Gallery of Maps
View of Genoa
View of Venice
Map of Ancient Italy (Italia antiqua)
Map of Modern Italy (Italia nova)
Map of Campania (Campania), detail
Map of Campania (Campania), detail
Map of Campania (Campania)
The Miracle of the Blood of St. Januarius in Naples
Stopping the Lava on Aetna by Holding St. Agata's Veil
Stopping the Lava on Aetna by Holding St. Agata's Veil
Adam's Sacrifice of Praise
Cartouche
Map of the Territory of Perugia (Perusinus ac Tifernas), detail
Map of Apulia (Apulia), detail
Map of Piceno (Picenum)
Map of the Territory of Milan (Mediolanensis Ducatus)
Map of the Territory of Bologna (Bononiensis Ditio), detail
Flaminia, detail
Flaminia, detail
St. Michael the Archangel Appearing on Monte Gargano
Map of Apulia (Apulia)
Map of the Roman Empire (Romani Imperii Imago)
Chorography of St. Paul's Peregrinations (Peregrinationis divi Pauli Typus Chorographicus)
Map of Ancient Italy (Italia antiqua), detail
Map of Modern Italy (Italia nova), detail
St. Sylvester Baptizing Emperor Constantine
Emperor Constantine Building the Basilica of St. Peter's
Emperor Constantine Building the Basilica of St. Paul
Emperor Constantine Holding the Reins of St. Sylvester's Horse
Constantine's Vision of the Cross Before the Battle at the Milvian Bridge
The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism
The Donation of Constantine
The Priest Leading the Bullock to the Temple for the Communal Sacrifice
The Priest Cutting the Throat of the Bullock and Collecting its Blood in a Basin
The Priest Sprinkling Blood on the Curtain of the Sanctuary
The Priest Smearing the Blood on the Corners of the Altar
The Priest Pouring the Remaining Blood at the Foot of the Altar
The Priest Burning the Fat, Kidneys, and Lobes of the Liver on the Altar
The Priest Burning the Carcass and the Meat Outside the Camp
Flaminia, detail
Flaminia, detail
Countess Matilda of Canossa Donating her Possessions to the Roman Church
Cappella Gregoriana
Map of Asia Minor (Asia Minor)
Map of South America
Map of the Western Hemisphere
Map of the Eastern Hemisphere
The Procession for the Translation of Gregory of Nazianzus's Body Crosses the Bridge of Castel Sant' Angelo
Vault
Meridian Line
The description of the holie land and of places mencioned in the foure Evangelists
Map of Canaan (Tabula Terrae Canaan Abrahmea Tempore)
Reconstruction of the original sequence of the map panels in the Guardaroba Nuova
Reconstruction of the Gallery of Maps, Vatican
Reconstruction of the Terza Loggia, Vatican

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Contents

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

Contents

Author

PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22609

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Acknowledgements

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~This book acquired a temporal and geographical extension that I could never have anticipated when I started it in Rome years ago. Along the way, I accumulated immense debts of gratitude towards the many friends and scholars who shared their insights and criticism. First and foremost, I thank the late Corrado Maltese who, in myriad Roman conversations,...

Author

PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22610

1. Interpreting Renaissance Map Cycles

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~This book is about the interactions of mapping with other forms of knowledge and representation in the Renaissance and Counter-Reformation. It examines the place of cartography in two famous courts, the court of Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici (1537–1574) and the papal court of Gregory XIII Boncompagni (1572–85). These two rulers, like others of the...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Cartography--Italy--HistoryWorld maps--Early works to 1800Danti, Ignazio, 1536-1586Mural painting and decoration, Renaissance--ItalyGregory XIII, Pope, 1502-1585Cosimo I, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, 1519-1574Florence (Italy)--HistoryRome (Italy)--HistoryVatican Palace (Vatican City)

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.1-13

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.1

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22611

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Part One: Maps as Worldly Art

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

Part One

Author

PublisherYale University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.2

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22612

2. The Guardaroba Nuova

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

On 15 May 1540, three years after he had been elected Head of the Florentine Republic and had masterfully succeeded to keep his rule over Florence, Cosimo I de’ Medici, his wife Eleanor of Toledo...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Cosimo I, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, 1519-1574Sala delle Carte geografiche (Palazzo vecchio, Florence, Italy)World maps--Early works to 1800Pictorial maps, RenaissancePictorial mapsFlorence (Italy)--HistoryPalazzo vecchio (Florence, Italy)Cartography--Italy--History

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.17-32

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.3

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22613

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3. “The Cosmos is Cosimo’s Ornament”

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~The iconography of the Guardaroba Nuova was devised in the last decade of Cosimo I’s rule, when the ducal imagery, which had been inspired by the model of Emperor Charles v,...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Cosimo I, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, 1519-1574Sala delle Carte geografiche (Palazzo vecchio, Florence, Italy)Florence (Italy)--HistoryCartography--Italy--HistoryVasari, Giorgio, 1511-1574Astrology in artPalazzo vecchio (Florence, Italy)Painting, Renaissance--ItalyCosmography

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.33-59

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.4

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22614

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4. The Ordering of Maps

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~The cosmic imagery of the Guardaroba Nuova epitomized Cosimo I’s personal iconography, but it was also appropriate to the main function of the room as a cabinet of art and curiosities for the most beautiful objects that he possessed. If, in many respects, the Guardaroba Nuova was similar to the princely cabinets that had become common in European courts, it...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Cosimo I, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, 1519-1574Cabinets of curiositiesSala delle Carte geografiche (Palazzo vecchio, Florence, Italy)Ptolemy, active 2nd centuryFlorence (Italy)--HistoryCartography--Italy--HistoryPalazzo vecchio (Florence, Italy)

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.61-92

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.5

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22615

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5. The Mapping of the Modern World

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~The maps of the Guardaroba Nuova ordered a selection of Cosimo I’s collections geographically, providing both the principle of organization of the artifacts and a visual catalogue for their storage and retrieval. But the Florentine maps also constituted a masterpiece of...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Geography, Ancient--MapsSala delle Carte geografiche (Palazzo vecchio, Florence, Italy)Cartography--Italy--HistoryDanti, Ignazio, 1536-1586World maps--Early works to 1800Ptolemy, active 2nd centurySala delle Carte geografiche (Palazzo vecchio, Florence, ItalyPalazzo vecchio (Florence, Italy)Cosmography

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.93-137

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.6

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22616

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Part Two: Maps as Sacred Art

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

Part Two

Author

PublisherYale University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.7

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22617

6. The Sala Bologna of Gregory XIII

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

On the evening of 24 December 1574, less than three years after he had been elected Pope, Gregory XIII Boncompagni led the most solemn procession of his pontificate...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Gregory XIII, Pope, 1502-1585Sala Bologna (Vatican Palace, Vatican City)Danti, Ignazio, 1536-1586Cartography--Italy--HistoryVatican Palace (Vatican City)Painting, Renaissance--ItalyCosmographyPaleotti, Gabriele, 1524-1597

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.141-170

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.8

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22618

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7. The Gallery of Maps

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~In his new corridor along the Belvedere Courtyard, Gregory XIII chose to represent Italy through a series of regional maps of the peninsula, a veritable cartographic achievement that, like Cosimo I’s maps of the world, had no precedent in print or in paint. The cartographic representation of Italy that Gregory had painted on the walls of the papal residence...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Gregory XIII, Pope, 1502-1585Galleria delle carte geografiche (Vatican Palace, Vatican City)Cartography--Italy--HistoryChristian art and symbolism--Renaissance, 1450–1600Pictorial maps, Renaissance

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.171-207

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.9

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22619

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8. The Primacy of Italy

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~The artistic and cartographic language of the Gallery of Maps suggests, at the very least, that Gregory XIII regarded Italy, its cities, and islands, as having a privileged place within the universal church over which his spiritual power extended. Indeed, Gregory and other post-Tridentine...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Gregory XIII, Pope, 1502-1585Galleria delle carte geografiche (Vatican Palace, Vatican City)Constantine I, Emperor of Rome, -337Cartography--Italy--HistoryChristian art and symbolism--Renaissance, 1450–1600

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.209-232

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.10

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22620

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9. The Mapping of the Universal Church

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~Since the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, the mission of the church had been to include people from around the world into the Christian community. Adapting the classical notion of universality to fit the Christian world, the universality of the...

Author

Chapter subject tags:Gregory XIII, Pope, 1502-1585Ecclesiastical geography--MapsWorld maps--Early works to 1800Bible--Geography--MapsCartography--Italy--HistoryVatican Palace (Vatican City)Pictorial maps, Renaissance

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.233-252

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.11

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22621

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Conclusion

The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

~Long ago Jacob Burckhardt suggested that painted map cycles, such as the map cycles at the Medici and papal courts analyzed in this book, constituted a pictorial genre of the Italian Renaissance. However, in line with the modern skepticism regarding the taxonomy of symbolic forms, I have not pursued the study of map cycles as a pictorial genre. Rather than...

Author

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.253-255

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00316.12

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22622

Chapter subject tags:World maps--Early works to 1800Pictorial maps, RenaissanceCartography--Italy--HistoryGeography

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Appendix A: The Maps of the Guardaroba Nuova

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The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

This appendix proposes a reconstruction of the original layout of the maps of the Guardaroba Nuova. This sequence of the maps, which differs from their current display in Palazzo Vecchio, is based on Giorgio Vasari’s description of the Guardaroba Nuova in his Lives and on the geographical order that Giacomo Gastaldi adopted in his edition of Ptolemy’s Geography (Venice,...

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PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22623

Appendix B: The Gallery of Maps

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The Marvel of Maps: Art, Cartography and Politics in Renaissance Italy

This appendix shows the close relations between the maps of Italy in the Gallery of Maps and Leandro Alberti’s Descrittione di tutta I’talia...

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