Summary
Giacomo Cantelli da Vignolla: Il Regno Della Servia detta alditri Rascia descrito
Serbia during the Great Turkish War With a dedication to the Archbishop of Milan This detailed map of Serbia, designed by Giacomo Cantelli da Vignola and published by Giovanni Giacomo de Rossi in 1689, presents a clear geographical representation of the central Balkans at a critical moment during the Great Turkish War (1683 - 1699). Published in de Rossi's Mercurio Geografico series, it reflects growing Italian and European interest in the border between the Habsburg and Ottoman spheres.
The map is centered on the upper reaches of the Morava River and includes a wide swath of territory from eastern Dalmatia and Bosnia across Raška to the Danube, and from the Hungarian plain southwards to the mountainous borderlands of Macedonia and Albania. Cantelli's distinctive shading style of clustered hills for topography, tower symbols for cities and fortresses, and a clearly structured system of rivers and roads provide a military and logistical reading of the landscape. To the lower left is a lavish decorative title cartouche, surrounded by trophies of arms and topped with a large eagle, depicting the Serbian imperial symbol battling the Ottoman crescent. Above right, an ornate dedicatory cartouche with floral ornaments frames the coat of arms of Cardinal Alfonso Michele Litta (1608 – 1679), Archbishop of Milan from 1652 until his death. Although Litta died a decade earlier, the map was posthumously dedicated to him in recognition of his ecclesiastical reputation and patronage.
Giacomo Cantell da Vignola (1643-1695) is one of the most important Italian cartographers of the 17th century. After studying in Bologna, he went to Paris, where he collaborated with the greatest French cartographers of the time. He has lived in Rome since 1675 and is working on his atlas "Mercurio Geografico", which was published in 1692 by the printing workshop of Giacomo de Rossi.
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