Nuova pianta ed alzato della città di Ferrara, con tutte le sue strade, chiese, palazzi, ed altre fabbriche come si trovano nell'anno MDCCXXXXVII. Disegnata, ed intagliata da Andrea Bolzoni Ferrarese, dal quale se ne dispensano le copie nella città medesima

THE INCREDIBLY RARE FIRST EDITION OF BOLZONI'S MAP OF FERRARA

Large engraved map (1410x1490 mm) made of 6 leaves, on cloth and rolled up. Browned as normal as it was hanged on a wall and exposed to the light, edges worn, small holes, cracks and abrasions throughout with occasional loss of engraved parts, larger hole to the bottom left corner, fragile and in poor condition but still quite readable and enjoyable.

Extremely rare first edition, the only one printed during the lifetime of the author, of this famous map of the city of Ferrara, updated and reprinted by Giambattista Galli in 1769, 1782, 1794 and again in 1800.

It is an extraordinary scenographic representation of the city, with all the buildings in perspective, in relief, and with the names of the streets, squares, etc. inscribed.

In the upper left corner, above a cloud, are St. Maurilius and St. George, the patron saints of Ferrara, with the motto “Benedictione Iustorum Exaltabitur Civitas Prov. 11.11”. In the centre is a cartouche with the title, next to which is the dedication surrounded by coats of arms, followed by the wind rose supported by a putto resting its feet on a large rectangular frame containing the legenda. In the lower left corner there is a representation of the fortress built in the south-western part of the city from 1608, a few years after the devolution of Ferrara to the Papal States, seen from above, and at the bottom centre, in a long rectangular frame, four views of the main parts of the city: Veduta della Piazza Nova con colonna nel mezzo sopra la quale è posta la statua sedente di bronzo di papa Alessandro VII; Veduta della Chiesa e palazzo Arcivescovile con annessa la Piazza detta di S. Crespino; Veduta del castello con annessa l'abitazione di Mons.r Vicelegato ed appresso la Residenza del Maestrato; Veduta della Chiesa, e Piazza di San Giorgio fuori delle Mura dove riposa il corpo del glorioso S. Maurelio Vescovo, e protettore di Ferrara.

Bolzoni sent out surveyors to collect data on the existing buildings and structures, including the gardens and every single tree. He then proceeded to enter all the data into the map in his workshop, but he did not stop there. Following his model of an ideal city, he integrated it according to his vision, adding buildings and filling in empty spaces that he felt needed to be covered. His work thus resulted more in urban planning than in a real map of Ferrara, a prefiguration of what he thought the city should become. In fact, his map was used a city planning until the middle of the last century.

Born in Ferrara and orphaned by his father as a child, Bolzoni learnt the art of engraving at an early age and also studied drawing with his uncle Francesco. After the latter's death in 1728, he made several journeys to central Italy to improve his technique. He visited Umbria, Tuscany and Rome. He lived mostly in Ferrara, but frequently travelled to Modena and Mantua. Bolzoni also worked for the mints of Ferrara and Mantua. His engravings include several portraits and valuable reproductions of paintings that were later destroyed.

F. Bonasera, Forma veteris urbis Ferrariae: contributo allo studio delle antiche rappresentazioni cartografiche della citta di Ferrara, Florence, 1965, no. 29; C. De Seta, L'immagine delle città italiane dal XV al XIX secolo, Milan, 1998, p. 138; A. Alberghini, Ferrara. La storia di un territorio in una collezione di mappe e vedute dal XV al XX secolo, Cento 2008, pp. 192-193.

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