Plans of the Vatican City and St Peter's Basilica

An etching depicting a map of the Vatican City and an old plan of the Basilica of St Peter. This print was published by Carlo Pontani in "Opere architettoniche di Raffaello Sanzio, incise e dichiarate dall'Architetto Carlo Pontani", published in two volumes in 1841 and 1845. The print is lettered with two titles in Italian and a series of numbers which correspond with a key at the bottom right corner. Signed by the printmaker. Annotated on the verso.

Raphael was appointed architect director of the St Peter's workshop in 1514, following the death of Bramante, who had been in charge of the architectural plans c.1505-1506, together with Giuliano da Sangallo and later Fra Giocondo, a renowned theorist at the time. Baldassarre Peruzzi was also involved with the workshop, possibly from the time of Bramante as an assistant, but certainly as the chief architect together with Antonio da Sangallo, after the death of Raphael (see Bibliographic References). In 1546 Michelangelo became the architect and also designed a new dome, the construction of which continued for some decades after Michelangelo's death in 1564. The Basilica - completed with the project led by Carlo Maderno, chief architect from 1603 - was finally consecrated in 1626. Bernini worked on the square and the colonnade later in the seventeen century.