View with a Chain
Title
View with a Chain
Alternative Title
La veduta della catena; Map with a Chain
Description
This large (52 in. x 23 in.) woodcut from the 1470s or early 1480s attributed to Francesco Rossselli depicts the entire city of Florence and the Arno valley. The perspective on the city is from an elevated position, providing a bird’s-eye view.
The city is portrayed in high detail with individual buildings, gates, and other features labeled. The River Arno is a dominant feature on the landscape. It flows from distant mountains pictured in the background behind the city, through the center of the city where its channel is tightly constrained, and leaves the city in the foreground of the image.
The part of the city on the left bank of the Arno appears to have more buildings and greater density of buildings than the part of the city on the right bank. The dome of the cathedral dominates the city. There are four bridges which span the Arno. The distinction between the city and the surrounding areas is clear, as curving city walls contain the city on both the left and right banks of the Arno. Gates allow for passage into and out of the city. The density of buildings is far greater within the walls than outside the walls, though the density of buildings varies considerably within the walls. In the countryside, there are scattered trees, hilly terrain, churches, and other buildings.
In the foreground of the image, people are shown fishing in the river and engaging in other activities on the river bank. A person close to the position from where the city is viewed is shown drawing in a book. A chain is represented surrounding the entire image, and in the top left corner there is a padlock with a dangling chain: it is from this chain that the map gets its name.
The map is titled "Fiorenza" instead of Firenze (Italian for Florence). The name was associated with peace and prosperity and was used in texts praising the city's prosperity; with indications of summer time (the trees just leafing out), it gives the image a tone of celebration.
The city is portrayed in high detail with individual buildings, gates, and other features labeled. The River Arno is a dominant feature on the landscape. It flows from distant mountains pictured in the background behind the city, through the center of the city where its channel is tightly constrained, and leaves the city in the foreground of the image.
The part of the city on the left bank of the Arno appears to have more buildings and greater density of buildings than the part of the city on the right bank. The dome of the cathedral dominates the city. There are four bridges which span the Arno. The distinction between the city and the surrounding areas is clear, as curving city walls contain the city on both the left and right banks of the Arno. Gates allow for passage into and out of the city. The density of buildings is far greater within the walls than outside the walls, though the density of buildings varies considerably within the walls. In the countryside, there are scattered trees, hilly terrain, churches, and other buildings.
In the foreground of the image, people are shown fishing in the river and engaging in other activities on the river bank. A person close to the position from where the city is viewed is shown drawing in a book. A chain is represented surrounding the entire image, and in the top left corner there is a padlock with a dangling chain: it is from this chain that the map gets its name.
The map is titled "Fiorenza" instead of Firenze (Italian for Florence). The name was associated with peace and prosperity and was used in texts praising the city's prosperity; with indications of summer time (the trees just leafing out), it gives the image a tone of celebration.
Creator
Francesco Rosselli
Source
Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, 899-100.
Format
Sheet map
Publisher
Kreuer, Werner, and Hein-Th Schulze Altcappenberg. Veduta della catena, Fiorenza = Die grosse Ansicht von Florenz: Essener Bearbeitung der grossen Ansicht von Florenz des Berliner Kupferstichkabinetts: der Kettenplan. Berlin: Wasmuth, 1998.
Date
1471x1482
Medium
Woodcut
Contributor
Special Collections, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
Relation
https://smb.museum-digital.de/index.php?t=objekt&oges=97597
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/la-veduta-della-catena-florence-and-its-monuments-palazzo-vecchio-museum/JAIiVU6eaWEIJQ?hl=en
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/la-veduta-della-catena-florence-and-its-monuments-palazzo-vecchio-museum/JAIiVU6eaWEIJQ?hl=en
Language
Italian
Type
City view
Spatial Coverage
Florence
References
Ballon, Hilary and David Friedman. "Portraying the City in Early Modern Europe: Measurement, Representation, and Planning." In The History of Cartography vol. 3, edited by David Woodward, 680-704. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.
Harvey, P.D.A. “Local and Regional Cartography in Medieval Europe.” In The History of Cartography vol. 1, edited by J.B Harley and David Woodward, 464-501. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Harvey, P.D.A. “Local and Regional Cartography in Medieval Europe.” In The History of Cartography vol. 1, edited by J.B Harley and David Woodward, 464-501. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Rights
Rights for maps held by individual publishers and institutions. Thumbnails displayed constitute fair use.
Collection
Citation
Francesco Rosselli, “View with a Chain,” Mapping the World, accessed June 20, 2025, https://hist231.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/46.