SANDRART, JACOB VON DE: MAP OF THE CONFLUENCE OF THE RIVER NERETVA WITH THE SEA

Inventory number 290

Original title: Abriss des flusses Narenta von Ciclut an biss in die See

Publishing year: 1678

Place of publishing and publisher: Nürnberg

Format: 11,2 x 14 cm

Technique: Copper engraving

This Sandrart’s map shows the delta-shaped confluence of the river Neretva with the sea. The attention of the author was focused on the depiction of the river’s backwaters and on the representation of the fort Opus that had a key role in the defence of south Dalmatia during the period of Venetian-Turkish wars. In the Opus’s hinterland the fort built at the confluence of the Norin and Neretva rivers and places of Čitluk and Gabela can be seen. At the time of the creation of this map this area was under Turkish rule. After 1684 the Neretva borderland came under the rule of Venetians (The fort Norin was definitely conquered by the Venetians in 1688 and Čitluk (Gabelu) not earlier than in 1694). In the network of backwaters of the Neretva river islets can be seen out of which some bigger in size are designated with names – the biggest among them is the islet Opus (Isola Opus) and the islet of Osinj (Osin) at that time belonging to the monastery of Zaostrog. The relief is shown using the method of shaded molehills. The title of the map is at top left in an ornate cartouche. Some ten years later, after Venetians re-conquered the area Vincenzo Maria Coronelli produced a similar map.

SANDRART, JACOB VON DE

Jacob von de Sandrart (1630-1708), a German painter and engraver. He was born in Frankfurt, died in Nürnberg. He was active mostly during the second half of the 17th century. Some of Sandrart’s best-known maps are the map of the Dunube of 1644, the map of Bohemia of 1666, the map of Austria of 1670, the map of Moscovia of 1670, the map of Hungary of 1670 and the map of France of 1675.