Cartographer / Cartógrafo

Giacomo Lauro

Title / Título

Ecclesia S. Ioannis Laterani

Year / Año

1625

Size / Tamaño

Image 18x23cm, page 22x32cm

Description / Descripción

View of the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. This is the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Rome in the city of Rome, and serves as the seat of the bishop of Rome, the pope. The only "archbasilica" in the world, it lies outside of Vatican City proper. Nevertheless, as properties of the Holy See, the archbasilica and its adjoining edifices enjoy an extraterritorial status from Italy, pursuant to the terms of the Lateran Treaty of 1929. Dedicated to the Christ, in honor of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, the place name, Laterano (Lateran) comes from an ancient Roman family (gens), whose palace (domus) grounds occupied the site; the adjacent Lateran Palace was the primary residence of the pope until the Middle Ages.

The church is the oldest and highest ranking of the four major papal basilicas as well as one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome. Founded in 324, it is the oldest public church in the city of Rome, and the oldest basilica of the Western world.

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).

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).