0336 Opportunità e limiti dell'annotazione digitale di mappe e vedute storiche

L'esempio della veduta di Napoli realizzata da Jan van Stinemolen

Abstract

A view of Naples by Jan van Stinemolen forms part of a digitization project that has been carried out at the Bibliotheca Hertziana – Max Planck Institute for Art History since 2017. The aim is to provide public access to selected historical maps and views of the city scenically located on the Gulf of Naples through interactive web applications. In these applications, all objects identified by numbers or inscriptions have been marked, annotated, and enriched with metadata using vector graphics. The Mappa topografica della città di Napoli e de' suoi contorni by the Duca di Noja (1775) served as the central reference for all subsequent digitizations, as it offers more valuable information for the identification of sites within the urban space and its rural surroundings in Early Modern Naples than any other historical map of the city. Jan van Stinemolen's panorama presents a challenge because it lacks an accompanying legend. This article uses Stinemolen's view of Naples not only as a compelling example of the ways in which digital web applications can work with historical source material, but also as an opportunity for discussing the potentials and limitations of such innovative analytical methods.