Salonichi - O. Dapper 1703

Engraved plate depicting a view of Thessaloniki, issued from Description exacte des isles de l’archipel, et de quelques autres adjacentes (...). The composition relates to one of the प्रमुख urban centers of Ottoman Macedonia, structured according to early 18th-century cartographic and topographical conventions.

The layout is defined by clarity and descriptive synthesis, with a careful delineation of the coastline, harbor, urban fabric, and main architectural features. The engraved line, clean and precise, provides an ordered reading of the scene, balancing documentary function and visual rendering.

This example represents Dutch editorial production of its time and belongs to the tradition of descriptive cartography and urban views, constituting a significant testimony to European knowledge of the Aegean region in the early modern period.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Art Historical Note
Olfert Dapper stands among the leading figures of 17th-century geographical literature, distinguished by the breadth of his compilations and their wide editorial circulation.

The work belongs to Description exacte des isles de l’archipel, conceived as a geographical and historical account of the islands and regions of the eastern Mediterranean. Such examples, often intended for scholarly dissemination, document European interest in the Levant and its commercial and cultural routes.

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Technical Sheet
Type: View
Author: Olfert Dapper
Engraver(s): Not specified
Publisher: G. Gallet
Place: Amsterdam
Period: 1703
Material: Paper
Technique: Etching
Decoration: Coastal urban view
Dimensions:
Sheet: 22.5 × 35.5 cm
Plate: 12.5 × 16 cm
Marks / signatures / inscriptions: Engraved title

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Condition Report
Sheet in very good overall condition.
Minor age-related wear.
Engraved surface clear and well preserved.
Verso with French text.