Ottoman-Habsburg Wars (1521-1791)
Images from eight wars fought between 1570 and 1718
The Siege of Malta, 1565 (Malta, independent political entity) 35°55ʹ00ʺN 14°26ʹ00ʺE Plate XIV: the new city of Valletta
published 1582Etching and engraving; printed on paper; mounted on paper (Mount Type A); gilt edges left, bottom and right | Scale: 1:3,698 approx. | RCIN 721033.o
A plan of the new town and fortress of Valletta, Malta.
In a cartouche, top left, are the arms of the Order of St. John, and the arms of four Grand Masters of the Order, from left to right: Jean Parisot de Valette (1557-1568), Pietro del Monte (1568-1572), Jean Levesque de la Cassiere (1572-1582), Hugo Loubenx de Verdalle (1582-1595). The text describes how the new city and fortress was founded by Grand Master Jean Parisot de Vallette and that he called it Valletta. His two successors, Pietro de’ Monti and Giovani Levesque, completed it with many buildings such as the most noble temple dedicated to the ‘Glorious St. John the Baptist’, together with a great and magnificent palace as well as other essential buildings. A series of pictures, represented by the prints in this sequence, were painted in the Great Hall of the palace, showing the events of the war and the assaults made by the Turkish fleet in 1565.
See RCIN 721033.a for further information and literature and further reading.
Matteo Perez d'Aleccio (1547-1616) (publisher) [along bottom, inside neatline:] IN ROMA· APPRESSO·MATTHEO [‘H’ and ‘E’ combined]· PEREZ DE ALLECIO
Watermark: Anvil and hammer in circle [see Woodward 230]
Condition: small piece torn from mount, top left; mount slightly creased; some brown discolouration; surface dirt; traces of old adhesive along top edge, perhaps from a former guard
Scale: 1:3,698 approx. Scale bar: Scala di Canne Sesanta [34 mm = 60]
32.0 x 44.8 cm (image, neatline and sheet)
cropped (platemark)
41.2 x 54.9 cm (mount)
Printed title:
LA NVOVA CITTA [‘T’ and ‘A’ combined] E' FORTEZZA DI MALTA CHIAMATA VALLETTA ·[top]
Printed title:
FOGLIO DECIMO QVARTO [bottom right]
Additional text:
[bottom left, in a cartouche, a brief history of the founding of Valletta; text begins:] Questa nuoua Città e' Fortezza fu` fondata ... [Followed by a key, A-I, K-T, V, X-Z, AA-II, KK-TT, VV, XX-ZZ :] L'INDICI DE I NOMI ET COGNOMI DE LOCHI NOTABILI
Annotations:
George III heading: Malta
Other annotations: (Recto) none. (Verso) [bottom right, black pencil:] I [or II]/37o
George III catalogue entry:
Malta Ritratti della Guerra e dell’ Assedio et Assalti dati alla Isola di Malta dall’ Armata Turchesca l’anno 1565: da Matteo Perez di Allecio, 1582. 15 foglie
Subject(s)
Malta, independent political entity (35°55ʹ00ʺN 14°26ʹ00ʺE)
Valletta, Il-Belt Valletta, Malta (35°53ʹ59ʺN 14°30ʹ53ʺE)
Bibliographic reference(s)
M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2679
Page revisions
23 May 2024
Current version
