This etching, enhanced with burin engraving, depicts the territories of Brescia, Bergamo, and Crema. It is sourced from Philippe Briet’s lesser-known historical-geographical work Parallela Geographica, published in Paris in 1648 by the Cramoisy brothers’ printing house.
Briet’s work aimed to juxtapose the achievements of ancient and modern geography. Ancient sources cited include Strabo, Ptolemy, Pliny, and Heraclitus, while modern cartographers referenced—alongside Ortelius, Magini, Botero, Mercator, and Cluverius—are Flavio Biondo and Leandro Alberti, whose regional divisions of Italy (18 regions for Biondo, 19 for Alberti) were highly regarded by the author.
From a strictly scientific-geographical perspective, given the work’s comparative nature, the placement of urban centers does not cater to travelers’ practical needs but serves as a mere geographical notation, a dutiful citation without touristic ambitions. By contrast, the map excels in its depiction of hydrological features: the source of the Oglio River, small mountain lakes, and minor waterways. The orography is only sketched, though key valleys (Val Camonica, Val di Rendena, Val Sabbia, and Val Trompia) are clearly highlighted.
Philippe Briet (1601–1668)
A French Jesuit, geographer, and cartographer born in Abbeville, Briet joined the Society of Jesus and pursued studies in theology, astronomy, and classical languages, excelling in geography. His work synthesized a century of geographical discoveries, emphasizing the contributions of Jesuit missions. Signed under the Latinized name Philippus Brietus, his writings blended scientific rigor, sacred references, and moral reflections, marking him as an “atypical” yet emblematic geographer of the Jesuit fusion of faith and knowledge.
Active primarily between 1640 and 1655, he produced significant cartographic works such as Palestinae Delineatio (1641), the historical atlas Parallela geographiae veteris et novae (1648–49), and the Theatre geographique d’Europe (1649). Notable are his maps of Japan (Royaume de Iapon, 1650) and South India, created during Japan’s isolation post-1640. These became benchmarks for later cartographers like Delisle and Homann.
His output reflected the Jesuit mission to unite human and spiritual progress, oriented toward “the greater glory of God.” He died in 1668, leaving a legacy that intertwined exploration, faith, and culture within the Counter-Reformation context.
