Turin

Superb city plan of Turin, capital of Piedmont and seat of Victor AmadeusII, Duke of Savoy, with an elaborate panorama on the lower border.

"Prospect maps" were very much a German invention and heavily used by the pre-eminent publishing houses of that country. Initially popularised by Johann Baptist Homann in the early 18th century, they were then continued by both Homanns Heirs and Homann's apprentice, Matthias Seutter. Finally, Matthias Lotter, Seutter's apprentice continued with the tradition well into the later 18th century. Their format usually follows a city plan which bears a large, continuous panorama or prospect on the lower border of the engraving; this attempted to exploit the newly emerging market for panoramic prints, together with the more traditional map market.

Initially, it is not obvious why Seutter included Turin in his collection of city plans of European cities. It was important in the regional sense but had been long overshadowed by its neighbour Milan as well as Rome, Venice and Florence within Italy. This changed dramatically however in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14), with northern Italy being one of its major theatres. It was also heavily associated with one of the most important military leaders on the side of the eventual winners, the Grand Alliance: the dashing Prince Eugene of Savoy. He fought against the French for the Holy Roman Empire, rising to become one of the great military commanders of the War. The city itself gained enormous fame, after the pivotal Siege of Turin in 1706 when an enormous French force besieged the city and was on the verge of taking it, having been repulsed three times previously. However, Prince Eugene arrived with a relieving army which resulted in the French being defeated by a combination of the new arrivals and the city garrison. Military historians perceive this now to be a turning point in the Italian Theater of the War. As Seutter lived in Augsburg and had gained the favour of the Holy Roman Emperor, it becomes much clearer as to why he would create a map of Turin of such quality and beauty.

This also explains the military emphasis of the map; the plan is more of a schematic with the main focus being on the impressive walls of the city. The famous Citadel of Turin, so troublesome to the French during the siege, bears pride of place on the southwest and there is an indication of the environs, showing the city's position in regards to the River Po and the canal on its southern edge. The lower panorama, with its profile, gives an even greater indication of the sight that would have met the besieging army, with the two fearsome walls with further defensive entrenchments between them. Ironically, the map on which Seutter based his plan, seems to have been first drawn by a French mapmaker, Gaspard Bailleul, who issued his map c.1700

This is another typically grand engraving from Seutter which was as much a celebration of victory for the Holy Roman Empire as well as a city plan of a newly resurgent city. Original hand colour. [IT3377]