A rare 16th century first issue map of Cyprus

DUCHETTI, Claudio.

Cyprus que olim (Macaria) id est Beata, Insula est in sinu Carpathij maris sita Veneri fuit sacra. Huc cerui gregatim tranant e Cilicia Ambitus eius Mill.420 a plerisq traditur. Hic etiam fit pannus ille ex caprino pilo undatim cotextus quem Vulgus Ciambellotum appellat. Claudij ducheti formis 1570.
Venice, 1570. Sheet 280 x 212mm.

Trimmed within plate with minimal loss of image, old folds with slight loss, damp stains, laid on paper. Dark impression.

A separate-issue map of Cyprus, orientated with north to the left, decorated with a strapwork title cartouche, sea monsters, galleons and galleys. Both Nicosia and Famagusta are depicted as elevations.
Duchetti was the nephew of the important Rome publisher of maps, Antonio Lafreri. In 1570 he was working in Venice, either independently or as a branch of the Lafreri business. It has been suggested that the engraver of this map was the Venetian Paolo Forlani, based on stylistic grounds. A later second state was published in 1602 with the imprint of Giovanni Orlandi.

BIFOLCO & RONCA: Cartographia Topografia Italiana del XVI Secolo, Tav 845. BAYNTON-WILLIAMS: Cyprus 17.1.
Stock ID : 23447