Ottoman-Habsburg Wars (1521-1791)
Images from eight wars fought between 1570 and 1718
View of Tripoli, 1560 (Tripoli, Tripoli District, Libya) 32°52ʹ30ʺN 13°11ʹ14ʺE
1630 or laterEtching with engraving; letterpress text; printed on one sheet of paper; mounted on paper (Mount Type B); gilt edge bottom and right | 36.6 x 43.5 cm (image of text and print) | RCIN 721030
A view with letterpress text, of the attack on Tripoli, one of the Barbary states, by Juan de la Cerda, 4th Duke of Medinaceli (c.1514-1575) in about April 1560. The Ottoman Empire (1500-1606): Conflicts in the Mediterranean (1532-1565). Oriented with north to top.
Medinaceli’s fleet included forces from Spain, Genoa, Tuscany, Malta and the Papal States all of which was virtually destroyed a month later in the Battle of Djerba (see RCIN 721008).
According to Toksöz (pp. 56-7) however, this siege and attack never took place. It is claimed that this print shows a fictional event and that its production was the result of an ‘overly eager publisher’ who was anxious to get ‘ahead of his competition and have a print ready to sell as soon as the expected news of the Christian victory should arrive’. Toksök, therefore, is placing the time of this action after, rather than before, the Battle of Djerba. Toksök does refer to a separate ‘inscription’ which, from the description of the text, would appear to be the text which is present on the Royal Collection example, but he makes no mention of the presence of the 1630 date (which may be a misprint for 1530). The example of the view illustrated in his book appears to be identical to RCIN 721030 in all but one respect. Toksök’s example, which comes from the Gabinetto Nazionale delle Stampe in Rome, bears the title ‘TRIPOLI CITTA DI BARBARIA’ bottom centre, above the compass point ‘MERIDIES’.
The units of measure which are engraved against sections of the walls of Tripoli in this view, e.g., ‘ca. 50’, may refer to canna, each of which is equivalent to roughly 2 metres.
Anonymous (cartographer)
Subject(s)
Army-SpainWatermark: Indistinct device in circle
Condition: one fold line to map; one fold line to mount, not coincident with the map’s fold; creased; four worm holes, two to each half, a mirror image indicating that they must have been made when the map was stored folded. Verso: some foxing; ink smudges; surface dirt
36.6 x 43.5 cm (image of text and print)
29.7 x 43.5 cm (image and platemark of print)
40.9 x 52.9 cm (mount)
Printed title:
TRIPOLI Città di Barbaria, cosi detta ... [there follows a description of its geographical position and summary of its history:] ... è fatta una fortezza per guardia del porto qual fortezza del anno 1630... Nouamente il Duca di Mendina Celi Vicere di Sicilia con l'armata del Re Philippo ... è andato per la recuperation di [Tripoli] … Sperando con l'aiuto di DIO di reportarne Vittoria. [lacks a formal title; descriptive letterpress text, below view]
Additional text:
[below view, right of descriptive text, a key, A-I, K-P to structures in and around the city:] SIGNIFICATIONE DELLE / lettere.
Annotations:
George III heading: Tripoli attacked by the Duke of Medina Celi with the forces of Philip II. King of Spain in 1560.
Other annotations: (Recto) [top right, crossed out, black pencil:] 1552; [bottom right, black pencil:] 1560 [and other numbers, black pencil, all crossed out:] 16[?] / [1530]. (Verso) [top left, on mount: black pencil:] II/32. [top, left of centre, on mount, red pencil:] 1/28
George III catalogue entry:
Tripoli Tripoli attacked by the Duke of Medina Celi with the forces of Philip the II.d King of Spain in 1560.
Subject(s)
Tripoli, Tripoli District, Libya (32°52ʹ30ʺN; 13°11ʹ14ʺE)
Bibliographic reference(s)
M. Toksöz, B. Kolluoglu (eds), Cities of the Mediterranean: from the Ottomans to the present day, London and New York 2010, pp. 55-58
G. Fumagalli, ‘La più antica pianta di Tripoli’, Accademie e Biblioteche d’Italia, VI,1932-1933, pp. 28-40
M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2633
Page revisions
25 May 2024
Current version
