Raphael’s Lost Map of Rome? Connecting Antiquarian, Military and New Building Plans from Bramante to Bufalini

Abstract Scholars have debated the famous plan for a map of Rome outlined in Raphael’s famous letter to Leo X. After much clarifying philological work, the question is apparently in suspense as no deciding new information seems forthcoming. The following paper presents such evidence in the archeological surveys undertaken by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Baldassare Peruzzi and Risiero Neruccio under Raphael’s supervision. The architects all used a series of scales, usually multipliable or divisible by three, that could constitute a general map of Rome. This scale converts directly into Sangallo’s later fortification projects and eventually Bufalini’s map. The data presented suggests that common scales were in use and reinforces the high degree of collaboration among the Raphael and Sangallo workshops.