SANDMANN, FRANZ JOSEF XAVER: ZADAR

The city of Zadar dominates this artistically crafted and partially coloured lithograph, observed from the hinterland in the north. Sandmann collaborated as a landscaping draftsman and master of lithography on the memoirs of Johann Högelmüller Erinnerungen an Dalmatien from 1847. The book includes views of the Adriatic, from Zadar and Trogir to Dubrovnik and the Montenegrin coastline, including the view of Zadar. The author particularly emphasized city ramparts and recognizable city views such as the church bell tower, along with schematic depictions of town houses. The calm pastoral motive of local shepherds is represented in the foreground. A traditional oriental headgear can be seen on one of the characters. In this way, the author commemorates the centuries-long border position of the Zadar area, during which Ottoman-Venetian wars left enough trace that the Austro-French author respects them even centuries after the Ottomans left the nearby the Zadar hinterland. Another important decorative feature of this view, which emphasizes the importance of maritime affairs during the long Venetian administration, is the number of commercial sailing boats in front of the peninsula. The label N. Sandmann lith ... Stamp J. Rach. is below the bottom edge of the view.