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Lot Essay
THIS IS A STUDY IN REVERSE FOR THE GROUP OF SAINTS TO THE UPPER LEFT OF VANNI'S CELEBRATED MAP OF SIENA, PRINTED IN FOUR PLATES BY THE FLEMISH ENGRAVER PIETER DE JODE, AND PUBLISHED IN 1596 WITH A DEDICATION TO GRAND DUKE FERDINANDO DE' MEDICI (FIG. 1).
IN A LETTER OF 1595 TO LORENZO USIMBARDI, PRINCIPAL MINISTER OF GRAND DUKE FERDINAND, VANNI ASKED FOR FUNDS TO PUBLISH THE MAP, AND EXPRESSED HIS WISH THAT IT SHOULD BE REPRODUCED ON A LARGE SCALE. VANNI NOT ONLY DESIGNED THE UPPER PART OF THE MAP, BUT IS ALSO DOCUMENTED TO HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY CONCERNED TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF SIENA WITH AN UTMOST VERISIMILITUDE: '... FATTO CON OGNI DILIGENZA DI MISURE E SITI' AND 'RITRATTO OGNI COSA DAL VERO', J. POPE-HENNESSY, OP. CIT., P. 77.
VANNI'S MAP WAS EXTREMELY POPULAR, AND A SIMPLIFIED VERSION OF THE LOWER SECTION WAS PUBLISHED BY THE ENGRAVER MATTEO FORLIMI (FOR THE HISTORY OF THE MAP SEE F. BELLINI IN L'ARTE A SIENA SOTTO I MEDICI, 155-1609, EXHIB. CAT., ROME, 1980, PP. 242-3).
THE REPRESENTATION OF THE CITY OF SIENA PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN VANNI'S PAINTINGS. THE SKYLINE OF SIENA IS ALSO REPRESENTED IN ANOTHER SHEET FROM SIR JOHN POPE-HENNESSY'S COLLECTION, THE DRAWING OF THE MADONNA AS PROTECTRESS OF SIENA WITH SAINT BERNARDINO AND SAINT CATHERINE, LOT 90.
IN A LETTER OF 1595 TO LORENZO USIMBARDI, PRINCIPAL MINISTER OF GRAND DUKE FERDINAND, VANNI ASKED FOR FUNDS TO PUBLISH THE MAP, AND EXPRESSED HIS WISH THAT IT SHOULD BE REPRODUCED ON A LARGE SCALE. VANNI NOT ONLY DESIGNED THE UPPER PART OF THE MAP, BUT IS ALSO DOCUMENTED TO HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY CONCERNED TO REPRESENT THE CITY OF SIENA WITH AN UTMOST VERISIMILITUDE: '... FATTO CON OGNI DILIGENZA DI MISURE E SITI' AND 'RITRATTO OGNI COSA DAL VERO', J. POPE-HENNESSY, OP. CIT., P. 77.
VANNI'S MAP WAS EXTREMELY POPULAR, AND A SIMPLIFIED VERSION OF THE LOWER SECTION WAS PUBLISHED BY THE ENGRAVER MATTEO FORLIMI (FOR THE HISTORY OF THE MAP SEE F. BELLINI IN L'ARTE A SIENA SOTTO I MEDICI, 155-1609, EXHIB. CAT., ROME, 1980, PP. 242-3).
THE REPRESENTATION OF THE CITY OF SIENA PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN VANNI'S PAINTINGS. THE SKYLINE OF SIENA IS ALSO REPRESENTED IN ANOTHER SHEET FROM SIR JOHN POPE-HENNESSY'S COLLECTION, THE DRAWING OF THE MADONNA AS PROTECTRESS OF SIENA WITH SAINT BERNARDINO AND SAINT CATHERINE, LOT 90.