The 1676 map of the "Roman Empire" is a late 17th-century work by the English cartographer John Speed, published in London by Thomas Bassett and Richard Chiswell in the atlas "A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World". It is not an archaeological map but a scholarly reconstruction of the empire's extent, reflecting the antiquarian and political interest of Restoration England in Rome as a model of universal power. The empire is shown at its greatest extent around the Mediterranean, with a rich array of Baroque decoration: cartouches, views and allegorical figures celebrating Roman order and, by analogy, modern imperial ambitions. Intended for a cultivated, collecting public, the map translates the historical memory of Rome into an image rather than offering a precise philological reconstruction of the ancient borders.
Unique quality material
Print on handmade Amalfi paper Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in) With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in) Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges Frame: light brown beech wood and wood pulp, handmade
How an Amalfi art print is made, what the frame is like, what museum glass is, how long shipping takes, and how returns work: we’ve gathered all the answers on a single page.
