Stefano Bonsignori, also known as Buonsignori, died in Florence on September 21, 1589. An Italian monk of the Olivetan Order and a renowned cartographer, he left his mark on the cultural and artistic heritage of Tuscany through his work. He honored his native Florence in particular by creating the famous Bonsignori map.
Little is known about Bonsignori's early life, but his path led him into the Olivetan Order before he received a special honor in 1575: Francesco I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, invited him to become his personal cartographer.
His special talent was shown in the challenge that the Grand Duke set him. Francesco I commissioned him to complete a cycle of maps for the Guardaroba, the dressing room in Palazzo Vecchio. This had remained unfinished after the dismissal of Ignazio Danti. Of the total of 53 cartographic panel paintings that adorned the doors of the dressing room, 23 were by the hand of Bonsignori. His last work for this room was created in 1589.
Between 1576 and 1584, Bonsignori's masterpiece, the axonometric map of Florence, was created under the sponsorship of Francesco I and engraved in copper by Bonaventura Billocardi. The map is characterized by a detailed representation, in particular it highlights the Arno River and various water infrastructures. This was a tribute to the successful water policy of Cosimo I, Francesco's father, whose implementation had significantly changed the cityscape of Florence.
Francesco's successor, Ferdinando I, confirmed Bonsignori's position as Grand Ducal Cartographer in 1588. Stefano Bonsignori died a year later. His tomb in the church of Santi Michele e Gaetano was unfortunately lost during renovations in the 17th century. His artistic legacy, however, lives on in his outstanding cartographic works.
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.jpg "Map of the Sixteenth Century British Isles, from the")
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.jpg "Italy by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of Sixteenth Century France, from the")
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 1575 - (MeisterDrucke-182096).jpg "Map of Sixteenth Century Turkey, from the")
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.jpg "Map of Sixteenth Century Egypt, from the")
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.jpg "Map of Persia by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of Sixteenth Century Germany, from the")
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.jpg "Map of Sixteenth Century Arabia, from the")
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.jpg "Central Northern Europe: Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of Sixteenth Century Japan (from the")
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.jpg "Tunisia and Libya by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Polar Lands Imagined on Top of Siberia by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of the Bay of Bengal, the China Sea and Java by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Mauritania, Mali, Morocco and Algeria by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of the Strait of Magellan by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Hellenic Peninsula: Greece, Albania, Bosnia and Bulgaria by Stefano Bonsignori")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-2385).jpg "Horn of Africa: Ethiopia and Somalia by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Western Africa: Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of the Cape of Good Hope by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of the Indian Peninsula by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of China by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Chile and Argentina with the Magellan Strait by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Namibia, Botswana and South Africa by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Western Africa Including Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Sudan by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Central Northern Europe: Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Austria by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Mauritania, Mali, Morocco and Algeria by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of Tartary by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of Armenia by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Polar and Greenland by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of Cuba and the Caribbean by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Gabon, Angola and Congo by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of Sixteenth Century Greece, from the")
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.jpg "Kenya and Tanzania by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of the Nile Region South of Nubia by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Karelia and Northern Russia by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Egypt by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "The Troglodyte Region by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Sudan by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Polar Lands Imagined on Top of the Bay of Hudson by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Polar Lands Imagined on Top of the Strait of Bering by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Tunisia and Libya by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Kenya and Tanzania by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "The Dalmatian Shore by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Polar Lands Imagined on Top of Siberia by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Map of the Caribbean islands by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Spain by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Polar Lands Imagined Above Greenland by Stefano Bonsignori")
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.jpg "Spain by Stefano Bonsignori")
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