199. Map "Hungary and Transylvania", by Pazzini Carli, Siena, 1789

Published in Siena in 1789 by the prestigious Pazzini Carli publishing house, the map "L’Ungheria e la Transilvania" provides a detailed and extensive view of Central and Southeast Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. The piece combines the accuracy of geographic information with the graphic elegance of old Italian cartography, being equally a historical document, a piece of graphic art, and a decorative object. The composition is dominated by the territories of the Kingdom of Hungary and Transylvania, the latter being individualized by the large inscription "TRANSILVANIA". Other regions such as Timisoara's Banat, Croatia, Slavonia, Serbia, Moldova, and Wallachia are represented, along with neighboring regions of Austria, Moravia, Silesia, Galicia, and Poland. The map thus captures a vast political, military, and cultural interference space, whose borders and administrative structures would be profoundly transformed in the following centuries. Transylvania is depicted with remarkable density information. The Carpathian Mountains are pictorially portrayed, and the main rivers, towns, and roads structure the interior of the province. You can identify centers such as Cluj, Alba Iulia, Sibiu, Brasov, Bistrita, and Oradea, and numerous smaller settlements, some maintaining historical forms of their names. Thus, the contemporary viewer is given the opportunity to rediscover the familiar geography of Transylvania through the eyes of an Italian cartographer from the Age of Enlightenment. The borders are highlighted by a contemporary manual coloring, executed in shades of yellow, pink, green, and red. The application of color not only has an aesthetic role but facilitates the distinction between provinces and territorial subdivisions while providing the work with brightness and dynamism. The yellow frame, graduated in longitude and latitude, strictly closes the composition, and the specific texture of the laid paper preserves the authenticity and charm of the era's prints. In the lower left corner, the title "L’UNGHERIA E LA TRANSILVANIA" is accompanied by the editorial mention "Siena Presso Pazzini Carli" and a brief explanatory note in Italian. Above the title appears the representation of a bird of prey, a subtle figurative element that animates the cartographic registry and refers to the fauna and landscape of the region. Also in the bottom part is the visible signature of the engraver Agostino Costa, responsible for transferring the design to the copper plate. The map was made at a significant historical moment, at the end of Emperor Joseph II's reign when the territories of the Habsburg Monarchy were undergoing a broad administrative reorganization and reform process. Transylvania is depicted as a separate province, clearly delimitated from Hungary and Timisoara's Banat, while Wallachia and Moldova are represented at the eastern edge of the composition, near the area controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The piece thus retains the political and geographical image of the region before the major changes brought about by the 19th and 20th centuries. With the clarity of its drawing, the richness of toponyms, and delicate manual coloring, the work appeals not only to cartography collectors but also to those passionate about Transylvania's history, genealogy, travel, graphic art, and Central European culture. For those whose origins are linked to one of the depicted places, the map may also acquire a personal dimension, becoming a visual bridge to familial geography from over two centuries ago. Elegant and easy to integrate into a library, an office, or a contemporary interior, the map combines the historical value of the document with the refinement of an authentic decorative piece. It is an image of Transylvania from the year 1789, meticulously preserved on paper, and brought to life through color by an artist of the era.

Dimensions

custom 28 x 38.5 cm

Description

hand-colored copper engraving

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