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Abstract
1
In 1982 Elisabeth Clutton wrote a very interesting article pointing out the
major phases of the historical cartography of Crete (Fig. 1) and the fact that
the 17 th century cartography of the island was indebted to Francesco
Basilicata's manuscript map of l 6 l 2 (Fig. 2). In particular Clutton examined
and compared thoroughly the map of Basilicata with that of Marco Boschini
(Fig. 3), whose publication in 1651 strongly influenced the mainstream
cartography of the area -both in Italy and abroad- suggesting that the latter
was no more than a copy of Basilicata's work.
The aim of this paper is to throw new light on this process of transition
of information from authors with first hand experience of the area to
others. The ultimate goal is to suggest that the cartography of Crete in the
first half of the 17 th century was not the work of a single author (however
remarkable this may have been, as was the case with Basilicata's map of
Crete), but the outcome of the work of a whole generation of engineers,
keen to satisfy the Venetian Republic's thirst for information.
HISTORICAL OUTLINE
Crete and the Greek archipelago were the focal point of the
geographical representation of the West up to the modern era.
Crete or Candia, as a territory of the Venetian Republic since
1204, had largely benefited from the introduction of print and
the cartographical work of the famous Venetian editors in the
16th century. But in the 17th century, the rich iconographie and
cartographic documentation, which will be discussed in this
paper, was mainly due to the fact that Crete represented, for the
Venetian Republic and the Christian world in general, the
ultimate bulwark against Turkish threat.
The military importance that Crete assumed during this
Eastern Mediterranean
Cartographies
p. 65-92
HELENI PORFYRIOU
fig.l: Elizabeth
Clutton, "The shape
of Crete: a selection
of outlines. " From E.
Clutton, "Some
Seventeenth Century
Images of Crete: a
comparative analysis
of the manuscript
maps of Francesco
Basilicata and the
printed maps by
Marco Boschini, "
Imago Mundi 34
(1982): 52.
F. BASILICATA
1612-1629
ACTUAL
M,
MARE MEDITEKANEO
fig. 3: Marco Boschini,
W S
OVERO DJ BARBARIA .
Candia...,
period was evident from the massive fortifications all over the
island, such as the new fortresses of the cities of Candia and
Canea initiated in the 1540's, but not completed until the late
1570's, the works for the fortresses of the small island of Suda
in 1572, of the city of Rettimo and of Paleocastro in 1573, the
two simple fortresses on the rock of S. Todhero in 1574, as well
as the fortifications of the small rocky islands of Spinalonga in
1578 and Grabusa in 1579.2
Crete represented the "major nerve [...] of the force and
reputation" 3 of all the Christian world, as Luca Michiel recorded
in his report of 1580 as General Purveyor of the island. And this
was evident not only in the extensive fortification undertaken
by Venice, but also in a series of descriptive works of the
defensive state of the island accompanied by maps, plans and
perspective, or bird's-eye, views of the major cities and
fortresses. These collections, forming small atlases, designed
and elaborated by engineers sent in loco by the Republic in
order to follow the fortification of the island, or by noblemen,
belonging to the Venetian governor's suite, were the outcome of
a detailed and profound knowledge of the Cretan territory.
The first document we have of this kind comprises only a
written text eloquently entitled: "Description of the whole
67
HELENI PORFYRIOU
68
CENTURY
in II Regno
tutto
HELENI PORFYRIOU
70
22m
'm&^j^fcmmw&mS * * / ^
-*-
% Jf*l -^
fig. 5: Giorgio
Nazionale
Corner,
Marciana,
"Regno
Venezia
di Candia,"
(from
ALLO CASTRO
in II Regno
now onwards
DI
di Candia,
125.
Biblioteca
(=8303).
CANDIA.
mm
' il
fig. 6: Angelo
Oddi,
degli
"Paleocastro
di Candia, " in
Citt,
fortezze,
porti,
redotti...,
101.
71
tav. 23.
HELENI PORFYRIOU
fig. 7: Francesco
Basilicata, "Fortezza di
Paleocastro, " in
Pervetusti atque
nobilissimi
cretensis
regni urbes, arces,
oppida..., 1618-9- BMC,
MS. Portolano n. 4, V.
fig. 8: Marco
Boschini, "Paleocastro, "
in II Regno tutto di
Candia..., Venezia 151.
BMC, E 1209, tav. 22.
S&:.j.ii::^L
72
,^i.
CENTURY
iSi
m^m^mmmm
fig. 9: Giorgio Corner, "Paleocastro," in II Regno di Candia, 125.
BMV, MS. it. VI, 75 (= 8303).
HELENI PORFYRIOU
10: Angelo degli Oddi, "Fortezza della Suda," in Citt, fortezze, porti,
ti..., l601. BMV, MS. it. IV, 1 (=506l), tav. 11.
redot-
".
fig. 12: Angelo degli Oddi, "Golfo e porto della Suda," in Citt, fortezze,
porti, redotti..., l601. BMV, MS. it. IV, 1 (=506l), tav. 1}.
REVIEW OF CITY AND FORTRESS DRAWINGS AND PLANS
HELENI PORFYRIOU
s^^^^&^^^^^^^^^isg^s^^^^^^^s^^^^ii^^
fig. 13: Marco Boschini,
'(<
Candia...,
"Suda," in Descrizione
CENTURY
topografica di Candia,
I63I.
HELENI PORFYRIOU
1 i
78
79
HELENI PORFYRIOU
Candia...,
CENTURY
fig. 2 1 : Giorgio Corner, "Citt di Candia," in II Regno di Candia, 125. BMV, MS.
it. VI, 75 (=8303).
HELENI PORFYRIOU
fig. 22: Angelo degli Oddi, "Citt della Canea," in Citt, fortezze, porti,
l601. BMV, MS. it. IV, 1 (=506l), tav. 8.
redotti.
MktfZM^;^^
-'-'--R A N T A ; .:?DELL V- - C A N E A :
83
HELENI PORFYRIOU
porti,
redotti...,
Basilicata,
regni
"Citt e fortezza
di Rettimo,"
CENTURY
in Pervenisti
arque
nobilissi-
n. 4, IX.
HELENI PORFYRIOU
(ft esc-e
*.jm
..ft.
! Hefe
.-"
--^^f-V;/ .
* {
.-''... -JiC
JOi!
in Descrizione
topografica di Candia,
I63I.
"Fortezza di Rettimo,"
86
topografica di Candia,
87
HELENI PORFYRIOU
CONCLUDING REMARKS
CENTURY
HELENI PORFYRIOU
p r e c i o u s m a t e r i a l m e t i c u l o u s l y collected a n d
carefully
represented by each one of them.
Boschini m a d e the results of this collective manuscript w o r k
public through his b o o k "The w h o l e Kingdom of Candia." The
great cosmographer of the Republic, father Vincenzo Coronelli,
w h o concluded w i t h his magnificent w o r k the cartographic
history of Venetian Candia (Figs. 32-33), was also to be indebted
to Boschini. 2 4
Heleni Porfyriou
CNR-Centro di studio sulle cause
di deperimento
e sui metodi di
conservazione
delle opere
d'arte, Roma
90
NOTES
T h i s a r t i c l e d r a w s h e a v i l y o n t h e w o r k p r e s e n t e d at t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l
C o n f e r e n c e " V e n e z i a e Creta." See HELENI PORFYRIOU, "La c a r t o g r a f i a
v e n e z i a n a d e l l ' i s o l a d i C r e t a , " i n Venezia
e Creta: atti del
Convegno
internazionale
di studi, Iraklion-Chania,
30 settembre
- 5 ottobre 1997, a
c u r a di G h e r a r d o O r t a l l i (Venezia: I s t i t u t o V e n e t o di Scienze, L e t t e r e e d
Arti, 1998), 3 7 5 - 4 1 3 .
1. ELIZABETH CLUTTON, " S o m e S e v e n t e e n t h C e n t u r y I m a g e s of C r e t e : a
C o m p a r a t i v e Analysis of t h e M a n u s c r i p t Maps of F r a n c e s c o Basilicata a n d
t h e P r i n t e d Maps b y M a r c o B o s c h i n i , " Imago Mundi 34 ( 1 9 8 2 ) : 4 8 - 6 5 .
2. GIUSEPPE GEROLA, Monumenti
Veneti nell'isola
di Creta ( V e n e z i a : R.
I s t i t u t o V e n e t o d i S c i e n z e , L e t t e r e e d Arti, 1 9 0 5 - 1 9 3 D , 1.2: 4 7 2 - 6 3 9 ; IOANNA
STERIOTOU, Le fortezze
veneziane
di Retimo:
1540-1646
(Venezia:
u n p u b l i s h e d P h D , IUAV, 1982); PAOLO MORACHIELLO, " C a n d i a . I b a l u a r d i del
R e g n o , " i n Venezia e la difesa del Levante: da Lepanto a Candia
1570-1670,
c u r a r e d a z i o n a l e M a d d a l e n a R e d o l i i (Venezia: A r s e n a l e , [1986]), 133-43
3. V e n e z i a , A r c h i v i o d i Stato, Collegio, R e l a z i o n i , b . 7 8 , R e l a z i o n e di
Luca M i c h i e l , 13 a g o s t o 1 5 8 0 , ff. 54v-55r.
4. Citt d e l V a t i c a n o , B i b l i o t e c a A p o s t o l i c a Vaticana, MS. Vat. lat. 9 4 4 5 .
5. ANGELO DEGLI O D D I , Citt, fortezze, porti, redotti et spiaggie del Regno
di Candia,
l 6 0 1 , Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venezia (from n o w
o n w a r d s BMV), MS. it. IV, 1 ( = 5 0 6 l ) ; GEROLA, Monumenti
Veneti, 1.1: 18,
45-6; DONATELLA CALABI, " S c h e d e , " i n Venezia e la difesa del Levante:
da
Lepanto a Candia 1570-1670, c u r a r e d a z i o n a l e MADDALENA REDOLFI (Venezia:
A r s e n a l e , [1986]), 124-5.
6. FRANCESCO BASILICATA, [MS Atlas of Candia], l 6 l 2 , L o n d o n , British
Library, MS. K. T o p . CXIII. 104, 6 t a b . 6; ID., Pervetusti
atque
nobilissimi
cretensis
regni urbes, arces, oppida...,
1618-9, V e n e z i a , B i b l i o t e c a M u s e o
C o r r e r ( f r o m n o w o n w a r d s BMC), MS. P o r t o l a n o n . 4; ID., Relatione
di
tutto il Regno di Candia...,
1629-30, BMV, MS. It. VII, 1683 (= 8 9 7 6 ) ;
DONATELLA CALABI, "Le cento citt d e l l ' a n t i c o e n o b i l i s s i m o r e g n o c r e t e s e , "
i n FRANCESCO BASILICATA, / / Regno
di Candia,
a t l a n t e c o r o g r a f i c o di
F r a n c e s c o Basilicata l 6 l 8 , r i p r o d u z i o n e i n f a c s i m i l e d e l c o d i c e c o n s e r v a t o
al M u s e o C o r r e r d i V e n e z i a , c o m m e n t o di D o n a t e l l a Calabi (Venezia:
Marsilio, 1993), w h i c h is a n e w e d i t i o n of
Pervetusti).
7. E. NANI, Fortezze
MS. it. IV, 17 ( = 5 0 6 4 ) .
8.
GIORGIO CORNER,
spiaggie
/ / Regno
e porti
di
Veneti,
del Regno
Candia,
di Candia,
l 6 l 3 , BMV,
91
75
120-1;
HELENI PORFYRIOU
Ilo.
10. MARCO BOSCHINI, Il Regno tutto di Candia delineato
a parte, a parte,
et intagliato
da Marco Boschini
venetiano
al Serenissimo
Prencipe et regal
Collegio di Venetia ( [ V e n e t i a ] , I 6 5 I ) (BMC, E 1209); CALABI, Schede,
Ilo.
11. I b i d e m .
12. CLUTTON, Some
Seventeenth...,
62.
Seventeenth...,
62.
Ibidem.
CALABI, Schede,
117.
124-5.
Veneti,
Veneti,
1.1: 157.
Veneti,
147.
94999-100.
92
di
Candia,