The book Theatrum Sabaudiae. The engraving work of the Dukes of Savoy is dedicated to the "Theatrum
Sabaudiae", an illustrated publication published in Amsterdam by Blaeu, the most famous publisher of
the time, following a commission from the Dukes of Savoy in 1682. In the "Theatrum Sabaudiae", the
territories of the Duchy of Savoy were made vivid and presented to the reader through detailed
engravings and panegyric descriptions. However, the "Theatrum" was not just an atlas of cities that had
never actually been depicted before, but a clear instrument of courtly representation, whereby text and
images were a splendid as well as convincing means of self-representation for the Duke of Savoy, his
politics, and his possessions: In the unstable political constellation of Europe at the end of the 17th
century, the "Theatrum Sabaudiae" served a clear and necessary legitimation of the Savoy power.
The present book is divided into three chapters, which also represent the respective goals of the
completed dissertation project. The first chapter reconstructs the genesis of the "Theatrum Sabaudiae".
Special attention was paid to the later editions of the work, which were published in The Hague in 1693,
1697, 1700, 1725 and 1726 in various languages (Dutch, French, and Latin). The second chapter of the
book insists on a detailed picture-text analysis of the "Theatrum Sabaudiae", while the third chapter is
devoted to the dissemination and reception of the "Theatrum Sabaudiae": To fulfil its representative
purpose, the publication was sent to many courts throughout Europe. Special attention was paid to the
reception of the "Theatrum Sabaudiae" in the imperial city of Vienna, since close political as well as
family contacts existed with Turin. Within the framework of this study, it could be shown that the
"Theatrum Sabaudiae" was omnipresent as a reference work in court libraries throughout Europe and
in some cases was available in several copies. Furthermore, a new function of the volume could be
highlighted during the 18th century and the "Theatrum Sabaudiae" was now also widespread in the
`bourgeois` milieu.