View of Palermo: the fusion between Bodenehr's northern eye and the city's southern soul

How can a thin copper plate capture the blazing essence of the Mediterranean?
Gabriel Bodenehr’s view of Palermo, created around 1720, represents a treasure of Baroque cartographic art.

The German engraver transforms the Sicilian capital into a jewel of copper and ink, where every architectural detail becomes a witness to a millenary civilization. In this work, Bodenehr’s northern eye merges with the southern soul of Palermo, creating an artistic synthesis that transcends geographical and cultural boundaries to deliver to us an eternal image of the city of the two seas.

BUY THE REPRODUCTION OF "PALERMO" BY GABRIEL BODENEHR

Style
The work fits perfectly into the context of German Baroque applied to artistic cartography, a period in which the Bodenehr family dominated the engraving scene in Augsburg. Its style reflects the tradition of perspectival city views developed in the 16th and 17th centuries, but enriched by the decorative sensibility typical of the German cultural milieu.

The influence of the Dutch cartographic school is evident in the precision of the architectural details and in the volumetric rendering of the buildings, while the compositional approach reveals that synthesis between scientific rigor and artistic imagination which characterized Augsburg’s publishing output. The copperplate engraving technique allows for the fineness of line that became distinctive of Gabriel Bodenehr’s production, heir to a dynasty of engravers who had made technical excellence their hallmark. The work belongs to the series Curioses Staats und Kriegs Theatrum dedicated to the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, testifying to the German public’s interest in views of Mediterranean cities.

Color and lighting
The chromatic palette of the engraving relies on sepia and black tones, in keeping with the copper engraving tradition of the period. Tonal gradations create an effect of atmospheric depth that lends the image an almost painterly quality. Imaginary light comes from the upper left, creating a system of light and shadow that models the architectural volumes and defines the morphology of the terrain.

The chiaroscuro contrasts are calibrated with extreme care to highlight the principal monuments and the most significant topographic features. The brightest areas correspond to the open spaces of the city—its squares and waterways—while the deepest shadows underscore the density of the built fabric in the historic quarters. This handling of light contributes to an atmosphere both solemn and monumental, exalting the dignity of the city represented and imbuing the whole with an evocative quality that transcends mere topographical documentation.

Spatial management
Spatial depth is constructed through a masterful use of aerial perspective and tonal gradation. The foreground presents architectural details with greater definition and contrast, while the more distant zones progressively fade into lighter tones. The distribution of elements in space follows a logic that privileges the legibility of the urban whole without sacrificing topographical accuracy.

The various planes of depth are articulated so as to guide the viewer’s eye along a visual path from the peripheral quarters to the central core of the city. The territory’s morphology is conveyed through an implicit system of contour-like lines suggesting the characteristic hilly terrain of Palermo. The horizon opens toward the sea, creating a sense of openness and breath that contrasts with the density of the urban fabric and imparts to the image that expansiveness typical of the finest 18th-century city views.

Composition and framing
The framing chosen by Bodenehr reveals a profound understanding of the compositional principles of Baroque city views. The elevated vantage point allows the entire urban expanse to be embraced in a single vision that finely balances documentary purpose with aesthetic intent. The arrangement of architectural elements follows an internal rhythm that creates visual movement without ever compromising the overall stability.

The main road axes serve as guiding lines that organize the composition, while the most significant monuments act as visual anchors that provide structure to the reading of the image. The balance between solid and void spaces is carefully calibrated to emphasize Palermo’s urban complexity.

Technique and materials
The engraving is executed on copper using the traditional burin technique, which allowed for the precision of line that characterizes the Bodenehr family’s production. The copper surface was worked with tools of varying sizes to create effects of chiaroscuro and differentiated textures. High-quality paper support ensured optimal rendering of tonal gradations and the long-term preservation of the image. Printing was carried out with durable inks that guaranteed chromatic stability over time.

The influence of this technique on the final visual result is decisive: the burin’s precision makes it possible to achieve that level of detail which transforms a simple map into a complete work of art—capable of documenting and, at the same time, moving the viewer through its aesthetic quality.