Ottoman-Habsburg Wars (1521-1791)
Images from eight wars fought between 1570 and 1718
Velez de Gomera, 1564
A los Letores Salud. / Esta es amigo Letor, Retratada al natural, el Sitio de la billa de belez de la Gomera y el ... castillo, llamado el Penon
1564 or laterEtching with engraving; printed on paper; mounted on paper (Mount Type A); gilt edges left, bottom, and right | 30.5 x 45.8 cm (image and sheet) | RCIN 721031
A medium oblique view of the Spanish attack, commanded by Garcia Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Marquis of Villafranca (29 August 1514-31 May 1577) and capture of the corsair stronghold of el Peñón de la Velez de Gomera. The Ottoman Empire (1500-1606): Conflicts in the Mediterranean (1532-1565). Oriented with north-north-west (compass rose) to top.
Spain captured el Peñón from the pirates who occupied it in 1508 and lost it again after a Moroccan Berber attack in 1522. Following its capture in 1564 it has remained in Spanish possession ever since.
This is a very similar view to RCIN 721032 and is a mirror image of it: the compass points and topographical details are reversed. All text is in Spanish rather than Italian.
Marten Peeters (c. 1500-1565) (publisher) [bottom centre:] ANTVERPIÆ Martin petre excudebat in fonte aure
Pieter van der Heyden (b. 1530, active 1557-1572) (engraver)
Watermark: Indistinct
Condition: three fold lines; creased; cropped to edge of image; some staining; top edge of mount appears formerly to have been attached to a strip of paper, perhaps a guard; a pressure mark is present along the bottom of the mount from a mounted item which was placed above/below this item in a former collection a pressure mark is present along the bottom of the mount from a mounted item which was placed above/below this item in a former collection. Verso: large brown stain, top left; surface dirt
30.5 x 45.8 cm (image and sheet)
cropped (platemark)
41.3 x 54.8 cm (mount)
Printed title:
A los Letores Salud. / Esta es amigo Letor, Retratada al natural, el Sitio de la billa de belez de la Gomera y el ... castillo, llamado el Penon [Lacks formal title; letterpress text pasted onto blank cartouche, top centre. the text describes the raid on the corsair stronghold of El Peñol by Philip II of Spain's forces under the command of Don Garcia of Toledo on 9 September, 1564.]
Annotations:
George III heading: Velez de Gomera 9 Sep. 1564
Other annotations: (Recto) [top left, on mount, red pencil:] 1564 [bottom right, on mount, black pencil:] 1564; [left edge of mount, black pencil, erased:] Penon de Velez [?]. (Verso) [top left, on mount, black pencil:] II/34 [top left, on mount, red pencil:] 1/30; [top right, black pencil, erased:] Valez de Gomera.
George III catalogue entry:
Velez de Gomera View of Velez de Gomera on the North Coast of Africa taken by the Forces of Philip II King of Spain, 9 Sept.r 1564: by Martin Petre.
Subject(s)
Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera [island], Spain [off the Moroccan coast] (35°10ʹ19ʺN 04°17ʹ58ʺE)
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. 2664
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
