On display at the Museo Napoleonico in Rome is a series of six maps designed by Louis-Albert-Bacler-Ghislain d'Albe which cover Napoleon Bonaparte's first Italian campaign. These maps were donated to the museum by Count Pompeo Campello. Besides acknowledging the generosity of the donor, the exhibition is part of a series of exhibitions dedicated to the gifts received by the museum.
Bacler d'Albe was a designer, cartographer and painter who worked at Bonaparte's side between 1796 and 1814. In 1804, he became head of the state topographical department and was one of the few citizens to be made privy to the emperor's strategic planning sessions. One of Albe's key tasks was to assemble and organise all the topographical documentation necessary for Napoleon's military campaigns. Such was the high esteem in which Albe was held, in the emperor's last will and testament he indicates that his son should use the cartographer's own maps for all his training purposes.
The maps of Italy are some of the best examples of early 19th century cartography still in existence. They are particularly fascinating for some of the technical innovations used in their design, including the use of shadow in the rendering of the mountains, and the positional accuracy of roads and departmental and cantonal boundaries. The exhibition also features a series of accompanying prints that serve to illustrate the six maps on display, which have been mounted onto a single wall, allowing the visitor to grasp the full extent and scope of Albe's work.
20 April - 4 November 2012
Piazza di Ponte Umberto I, 1
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