Provincia Insulae Sardiniae - J. Montecalerio 1649

Map depicting the Provincia Insulae Sardiniae, issued from “Chorographica descriptio provinciarum et conventuum Fratrum Minorum S. Francisci Capucinorum...”. The composition relates to the island of Sardinia, with particular focus on its religious-administrative divisions, structured according to seventeenth-century cartographic conventions.

The layout is defined by clarity and precision, with a delineation of coastlines, main settlements, and conventual jurisdictions. The engraved line, analytical and refined, provides an ordered reading of the territory, balancing documentary function and visual presentation.

This example represents Italian editorial production of its time and belongs to the tradition of religious and descriptive cartography, constituting a significant testimony to the spread of the Capuchin order and its territorial organization.

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Art Historical Note
Johannes Montecalerio stands among the authors active in seventeenth-century religious cartography, distinguished by his representation of monastic provinces and institutional geography. His work reflects the interest in documenting the geographical expansion of religious orders.

The map belongs to “Chorographica descriptio provinciarum et conventuum Fratrum Minorum S. Francisci Capucinorum”, conceived as a geographical repertory of Capuchin provinces. Examples of this type, relatively uncommon, document the role of cartography in recording the expansion of religious institutions.

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Technical Sheet
Type: Map
Author: Johannes Montecalerio
Publisher: Alessandro Federico Cavalleri
Place: Turin
Period: 1649
Material: Paper
Technique: Etching
Decoration: Title and territorial divisions
Dimensions:
Sheet: 27 x 35 cm
Plate: 22 x 32 cm
Marks / signatures / inscriptions: Title “Provincia Insulae Sardiniae”; from “Chorographica descriptio...”

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Condition Report
Sheet in very good overall condition.
Light water stain in the upper left corner.
Engraved surface clear and well preserved.
Verso blank.