BOSCHINI, M - Il Regno Di Candia.

Rare map based on the important map of Crete by Basilicata. The maps by Marco Boschini reached a wider audience than the few individuals for whom the Basilicata maps were originally drawn. In the dedication of his book "Il Regno tutto di Candia", Boschini refers to an earlier engraving of the Kingdom of Candia, made by himself in 1645.
Most probably, this reference is to a large map of the island, engraved by M. Boschini but undated. It is now very rare.
A copy of this large map exists in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. This map is clearly the immediate source for the smaller 1651 map and also for a later version contained in another of Boschini's works, "l'Arcipelago.." of 1658. In 1645, the date of the earliest of Boschini's maps of Crete, the island was invaded by the Turks. It was the perfect moment for a patriotic Venetian to affirm the greatness of Venice in her struggle against 'la potenza vastissima Othomana'.."