A rare 16th century miniature map of Malta

A map of Malta within a circle with only a few place names, surrounded by sea monsters and a galley. It was engraved by Michel'Angelo Marrelli for 'Diporti Notterni Dialloghi...', a small military manual that contained 28 maps of islands. The author, Francesco Ferreti (1523-93), was a Knight of the Order of St Stephen, which was founded by Cosimo I de' Medici to help fight the Ottomans and pirates of the Mediterranean and had participated at the great Battle of Lepanto less than a decade earlier. Dedicated to Francesco de'Medici, Cosimo's son and successor as Grand Duke of Tuscany, the manual's maps are of the Mediterranean islands most at risk, with a map of Britain being the only exception.