Ottoman-Habsburg Wars (1521-1791)
Images from eight wars fought between 1570 and 1718
Algiers, 1541
ALGERI
published 1541Etching and engraving; printed on paper; hand-coloured: the roofs of the buildings in Algiers have been coloured in red chalk; mounted on paper (Mount Type B); gilt edges left, bottom and right | Scale: not stated. Not to scale | RCIN 721011
A view of Algiers surrounded, and being besieged by the army of Charles V. The siege took place in October, when Charles V landed a force of 21,000 men 12 miles east of Algiers, but a storm wrecked most of the imperial fleet and a sortie by the muslim defenders caused heavy casualties. The emperor, with 14000 survivors, returned to Europe on October 27. The Ottoman Empire (1500-1606): Conflicts in the Mediterranean (1532-1565). Oriented with south to top (‘MESO DI’; ‘LEVANTE’ is written to the left edge and ‘PONENTE’ appears along the right edge and ‘TRAMONTANA’ at the bottom).
The view shows the troops of the Holy League (Spain, Holy Roman Empire, Kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, Knights of Malta, Republic of Genoa and the Papal States) to the west of Algiers. It combines a detailed perspective representation of the buildings within the fortified town with a map-outline of the coast of Spain and Italy, and of the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, Minorca and Mallorca, from where the imperial fleet set out. The text explains to the reader that although the town of Algiers has been made to appear more or less the same size as Italy and Spain, nevertheless it works well, visually, in this method of representation.
The name ‘PIGNON’, which is written to what appears to be a tongue of land emanating from the main seaward gate of the city, probably refers to the fortress, ‘El Peñon’ which had been built at the beginning of the sixteenth century by the Spanish on a rock or sandbank facing the town. It was destroyed during the siege of 1529. When all the remnants of the fort were cleared away, the area of sea which separated the little islands from the mainland was filled in, creating the main jetty or mole of the Ottoman port, as it is shown in this view.
The plate from which this map was printed appears to have been re-used. It is worn and scratched and shows traces of a former different image which has been imperfectly erased.
Antonio Salamanca (1500-62) (printmaker) [bottom, right of centre:] A·S EXCVD·1541·
Watermark: A shield containing the letter ‘M’ surmounted by a six-pointed star [see Woodward nos 313-331]
Condition: one fold line; cropped to edge of image; brown water-stain; surface dirt; brown discolouration to the mount. Verso: waterstained and ink-stained
Scale: not stated. Not to scale
30.2 x 43.6 cm (image and platemark)
40.4 x 54.6 cm (mount)
Printed title:
ALGERI [in scroll at top]
Additional text:
[bottom right, in cartouche decorated with strapwork, in punch-lettered text:] Signiori notate che Algi / eri ala proportion DE Ita / lia et Spagna sta nel pōto / sengnato · A · et inde ad on / gni parte corresponde / bene la sva figvra visia / in tal modo [?] corOgraphA / expressa
Annotations:
George III heading: Algiers besieged by Charles V in 1541.
Other annotations: (Recto) none. (Verso) [on mount, top left, red pencil:] 1/10.
George III catalogue entry:
Algiers View of Algiers besieged by Charles V in 1541. A.S. excud. 1541.
Subject(s)
Algiers, Alger, Algeria (36°45ʹ09ʺN 03°02ʹ31ʺE)
Bibliographic reference(s)
F. Cresti, ‘Description et iconographie de la ville d’Alger au XVIe siècle’, Revue de l’Occident musulman et de la Méditerranée, 34, 1982, 1982, pp.1-22; see particularly pp.3-4 where Salamanca’s view is described
M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2645
R.V. Tooley, ‘Maps in Italian atlases of the sixteenth century, being a comparative list of the Italian maps issued by Lafreri, Forlani, Duchetti, Bertelli and others, found in atlases’, Imago Mundi III, 1939, pp. 12-47, no. 96
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
