Travels of Cosmo III: illustrations
In 1669 Cosimo de Medici III travelled through various countries, including England. He had in his retinue an artist to record the places he saw and Count Lorenzo Magalotti, who was entrusted with creating a written account. The illustrated manuscript was later deposited in the Laurentian Library, Florence, where the section on the English leg of his tour attracted the interest of English visitors.
In the 19th century a translation was made along with Indian ink copies by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd of the original drawings. Those copies are now in the British Library Department of Manuscripts (Add MS 33767b). Scaled down engravings from them illustrate the published translation: Count L. Magalotti, Travels of Cosmo the Third, Grand Duke of Tuscany, through England during the Reign of King Charles the Second 1669 (1821), which can be read online.
Few copies of this work were ever published. So to make the images more readily available, almost all have been scanned here. The exceptions are the prehistoric monument Maiden Castle in Dorset, two additional views of Audley End, and the full panorama of London and Westminster, only part of which is shown. Click on the thumbnail images for an enlarged image.