18th Century Mattheus Seutter Antique Map of Malta with Floriana Valletta Malta . Dowelled peg frame

German 18th Century [ Seutter 678-1757 ] Antique Map of Malta with Floriana , large , coloured , good condition , dowelled frame. Fine example of Seutter’s decorative map of the Island of Malta and environs, published in Augsburg. The map and the coats-of-arms (67 at lower right) are based on an earlier map by De Fer, but Seutter has added an inset of the fortifications surrounding Valletta and the Grand Harbor (lower left) and an inset engraving of a ship of the Knights of St. John (upper right). The map is oriented with south at the top, a typical cartographic convention of the early modern period (see, for example, maps of Malta by de Fer (1722) and Giacomo de Rossi (1686)). The islands of Malta, Comino, and Gozo are labeled with great detail, including the networks of watchtowers that ringed both Malta and Gozo, prominent churches and aqueducts. Malta’s important position as a maritime fortress, the gateway between the eastern and western Mediterranean, is highlighted by the prominent fortifications labelled in red.