Thirty Years War (1618-48)
Maps, prints and letterpress text covering the major battles and sieges of the war
Siege of Casale Monferrato, 1630
Plan Geometral de la Ville & / Citadelle de CAZAL
published 1630Two etched and engraved images, a map and a view, both printed on paper and separately mounted on the same sheet of paper (Mount Type A); gilt edges bottom and right | Scale: not stated | RCIN 722054.a
A high oblique view and map of the sieges of Casal (Casale Monferrato), 28 March 1628-16 March 1629 and 23 May-18 September 26 October 1630. War of the Mantuan Succession (1628-1631). Oriented with east to top.
See the notes to RCIN 722031.
The second siege of Casale Montferrato, was carried out by the Spanish, commanded by Ambrogio Spinola, 1st Marquis of the Balbases (1569-25 September 1630) and defended by Jean Caylar d’Anduze de Saint-Bonnet, Marquis de Toiras (1585-1636), from 24 May to 18 October, when the town was relieved by a supporting French army under Henri II, duc de Montmorency (1595-30 October 1632).
The accompanying letterpress text (RCINs 722054.b, c), which provides a journal of the events, states that the representation of Casale was compiled from the drawings and memoirs of ‘le sieur Maupin, Ingenieur ordinaire de V.[otre] M.[ajesté]’.
A close copy of this map of the siege and view of the citadel, at a reduced scale, was made by C J Visscher in 1630 or later. The plan of the citadel, together with a medium oblique view of Casale, were engraved as insets on the general map of the siege. See the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Another example of the ‘Plan Geometral de la Ville & Citadelle de CAZAL’, with slightly different lettering and minor differences in detail, lacks the royal arms above but has engavings of coins below, together with a letterpress key entitled: ‘Table pour les chiffres cottez à la Citadelle du Plan Geometral de Cazal, & à la Monoye de cuivre que le sieur de Toiras fit fabriquer’.
See the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
An example of each of these two maps can be seen at the Bibliothèque nationale de France where they appear to each side of an engraved view (see RCIN 722057) of the siege. The Plan Geometral de la Ville & Citadelle de CAZAL is engraved on the same copperplate as the left hand section of the view. The ELEVATION DV PLAN DE LA CITADELLE DE CAZAL appears to be printed from a separate copperplate and is pasted to the right side of the view. A title, apparently engraved in three sections across the top of each of the three copperplates which make up the entire image, runs across the whole: ‘PLAN DE LA VILLE ET CITADELLE DE CAZAL ASSIEGEE PA // R LE · M · DE SPINOLA · le 24me May 1630. ET DEFFENDVE PAR · M. ·R DE TOYRAS · IVSQVE AV 18me Octobre. QVELLE A ESTE SECO // VRVE PAR LES ARMES DV ROY.’ (see the Bibliothèque nationale de France).
The map is surmounted by the royal arms of France and Navarre, surrounded by the collar and badge of the Order of St Michael, with the collar and badge of the Order of the Holy Spirit on the outside.
Abraham Bosse (1604-76) (etcher)
After Simon Maupin (?1590-1668) (draughtsman and surveyor)
Melchior Tavernier (1594-1665) (publisher) [bottom right of accompanying letterpress text (RCIN 72054.c):] A PARIS, Chez MELCHIOR TAVERNIER, Graueur & Imprimeur du Roy pour / les tailles douces, demeurant en l’Isle du Palais, sur le Quay qui / regarde la Megisserie, à l’Espic d’Or. 1630.
Watermark: None visible
Condition: two fold lines to the text; slight creasing; one fold line to the mount which does not coincide with any of the folds on the text; some brown discolouration to whole; pressure marks from the mounts of items which were kept above and below this map/print in a different collection are present on the recto and verso
Scale: not stated
36.6 x 19.1 cm (image and sheet of map)
36.6 x 20.5 cm (image and sheet of view)
41.2 x 52.8 cm (mount)
Printed title:
Plan Geometral de la Ville & / Citadelle de CAZAL. [top centre in a banner, below the royal arms of France and Navarre which are surrounded by the collar and badge of the Order of St Michael, and by the collar and badge of the Order of the Holy Spirit, the whole supported by winged victories]
Printed title:
ELEVATION DV PLAN DE LA CITADELLE DE CAZAL. [top centre in a banner, below the coat of arms of ?Charles Gonzaga-Nevers, Duke of Mantua and Monferrat]
Annotations:
George III heading: Casal besieged by the Marquis de Spinola in 1630.
Other annotations: (Recto) [right, red pencil:] 1629. (Verso) [right, red pencil:] 1/166.
George III catalogue entry:
Casal Plans de la Ville et de la Citadelle de Casal, assiegées par le Marquis de Spinola en 1630 par le S.r Maupin Ing.r avec un Abregé succinct en forme de journal de ce qui s’est passé dans le Montferrat pour la protection du Duc de Mantoue depuis que le Roy en donna la garde a M.r de Toyras jusques a la paix generale et levement du second Siege de Casal: chez Tavernier, 1630.
Subject(s)
Casale Monferrato [Casale, Casal, Cazal], Piedmont, Italy (45°08ʹ00ʺN 08°27ʹ09ʺE)
Bibliographic reference(s)
D. Parrott, Richelieu’s army: war, government and society in France, 1624-1642 Cambridge 2001, pp. 92-99
T. Jaques, Dictionary of battles and sieges: A-E, Santa Barbara 2007, p. 207
Mark McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. nos. 2923, 2924
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
