Cartographer / Cartógrafo

Giacomo Lauro

Title / Título

Pars Fori Romani Qua Respicit Arcum Titi Vespasiani Una Cum Vestigiis Seu Monumentis Templorum Hodie

Year / Año

1625

Size / Tamaño

Image 18x23cm, page 22x32cm

Description / Descripción

View of a Section of the Roman Forum (Forum Romanum) with the Ruins of the Arch of Titus. The image depicts how the Roman Forum would have appeared in the time of Lauro. The Roman Forum was a project begun in the reign of Augustus and continued actively throught Domitian's reign. But by 410 AD, rome was sacked by the Visigoths and plundered. During the Middle Ages, though the memory of the Forum Romanum persisted, its monuments were for the most part buried under debris, and its location was designated the "Campo Vaccino" or "cattle field," located between the Capitoline Hill and the Colosseum. The forum became an abandoned area until around the 19th century.

The engraving is taken from ´Splendore dell antica e moderna Roma ...´, published in Rome in 1625 (first edition started being published in parts from 1612 onwards). The view is explained with Latin legends below the engraving.

Giacomo Lauro (or Jacobus Laurus) was an engraver, printer and print publisher. Active in Rome from 1583, when described as 'intagliatori di rame' (Ashby p.362). 17 March 1598 he applied for and was granted a 10-year papal privilege for an unspecified number of unnamed religious prints (Leuschner). Giacomo Lauro’s place and date of birth are unknown, although his signature “Jacobus Laurus Romanus” seems to indicate that the artist was proudly born Roman.

Lauro's earliest dated prints are of 1582 (Martyrdom of St Catherine), and carry the address of C. Duchetti (Ashby, 1926-27, p.362). He also worked for Panzera, c.1589 (Bertolotti). From 1590 he tried to establish himself as a publisher of his own work . He acquired and restored old plates, published copies of classic prints as Marcantonio's St Paul preaching (B.XIV.50.44). He accepted commissions, as the map of Rocca Contrada, 1594 (Anselmi). He probably acquired plates from Jacob Matham which he published in 1598 (Widerkehr). His 'Antiquae Urbis Splendor' was published in parts from 1612. In the volumes issued in 1614 and 1615 Lauro refers to having worked on the study of antiquity for 28 years which would mean that he began this work about 1586 (see Ashby, 1926-27, p.362).

Condition / Estado

Excellent. Never folded. Strong paper. Ample margins.

Remarks / Comentarios

Please read the part about the condition of the map and study the pictures carefully before buying. I sell original maps, often several centuries old, and they therefore will have signs of age and use.

Por favor, estudie atentamente las fotos y el texto para conocer el estado del mapa antes de adquirirlo. Se trata de un mapa original que tiene unos siglos de antigüedad, razón por la que presenta ciertas marcas de uso.

Payment / Pago

With bank transfer to Spanish or Dutch bank account or with PayPal (the seller prefers a bank transfer).

Pago por transferencia bancaria a cuenta española u holandesa o con PayPal (el vendedor prefiere transferencia).

Shipment / Envío

In case you choose to have the item shipped without certified/insured mail, the seller will not be responsible for safe arrival of the shipment. If needed, a proof of shipment can be provided.

En caso de que usted no elija correo certificado, el vendedor no se hará responsable si su paquete no llega bien. Si lo desea, recibirá un comprobante de envío.

Return policy / devolución

In case you do not like the map, you can return it to the seller within 10 days after receiving it. You are responsible for the costs for return shipment/insurance. You will receive a full refund of the purchase amount (excl. shipping costs) after the seller has the map.

En caso de que al final no le guste el mapa, puede devolverlo en un plazo de 10 días tras recibirlo. Los gastos de envío (certificado) corren de su cargo. Cuando el vendedor reciba el mapa, le será devuelto el importe completo de la compra (excluidos los gastos de envío).