Pinadello Giovanni, Sixtus V, from Franciscum Zannetum, 1589, engraving Sixtus V = Felice Peretti (r. 1585-90)

This engraving was published in "Inuicti quinarii numeri series. Quae summatim a superioribus pontificibus et maxime a Sixto quinto res praeclare quadrienno gesta adnumerat ad eundem Sixtum quintum pont. opt. max. Romae, 1589 (Romae : apud Franciscum Zannettum, 1589)". Giovanni Pinadello was an artist from Treviso.

To ensure that his extensive rebuilding of Rome would be remembered, Sixtus V commemorated his architectural commissions in a series of prints and publications. One of these shows him surrounded by his building projects in much the same way that early saints' altarpieces showed saints surrounded by narratives of their miracles. Each of the small illustrations is diagramatically represented and carefully labeled so that there can be no doubt about Sixtus's accomplishments.

This engraving was published in "Inuicti quinarii numeri series. Quae summatim a superioribus pontificibus et maxime a Sixto quinto res praeclare quadrienno gesta adnumerat ad eundem Sixtum quintum pont. opt. max. Romae, 1589 (Romae : apud Franciscum Zannettum, 1589)". Giovanni Pinadello was an artist from Treviso.

To ensure that his extensive rebuilding of Rome would be remembered, Sixtus V commemorated his architectural commissions in a series of prints and publications. One of these shows him surrounded by his building projects in much the same way that early saints' altarpieces showed saints surrounded by narratives of their miracles. Each of the small illustrations is diagramatically represented and carefully labeled so that there can be no doubt about Sixtus's accomplishments.
As Sixtus lay on his death bed, he was loathed by his political subjects, but history has recognised him as a significant figure in the Counter Reformation. On the negative side, he could be impulsive, obstinate, severe, and autocratic. On the positive side, he was open to large ideas and threw himself into his undertakings with great energy and determination. This often led to success. His reign saw great enterprises and great achievements. He slept little and worked hard. He had inherited a bankrupt treasury, administered his funds with competence and care, and left five million crowns in the coffers of the Holy See at his death.<sup>[6]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBOaW3Yab1Y</sup>