Roma

Date: ca. 1572
Place: Cologne
Dimensions: 48.3 x 34.3 cm (19 x 13.5 in)
Condition Rating: VG

Out of stock

SKU: NL-00010 Categories: ,

Old color 1572 bird’s-eye-view of Rome by Braun and Hogenberg.

Details

This is a fine original color example of Braun & Hogenberg’s view of Rome, from an early edition of Braun & Hogenberg’s Civitatus Orbis Terrarum.

This striking work shows Rome as it was c. 1550. Included are various surviving features of ancient Rome: the surrounding walls, the Pantheon, the Coliseum, the Arch of Constantine, and the Forum Romanum. In the left corner in the foreground can be seen the Papal Palace and the Obelisk from the circus of Caligula and Nero.

It presents two figures in the foreground, and two extensive tables of explanations.

“The magnificent ancient ruins of the splendid buildings give a modest indication of the splendour the city formerly possessed. The Tiber flows into this city from the north and out again towards the south. But what more should I write about so famous a city, in which the successor to St Peter the Apostle and the supreme bishop of the Catholic Church has his seat, where the bones and relics of so many apostles and martyrs are to be seen?”

Cartographer(s):

Georg Braun & Franz Hogenberg

Georg Braun (1541 – 10 March 1622) was a topo-geographer. From 1572 to 1617 he edited the Civitates orbis terrarum, which contains 546 prospects, bird’s-eye views and maps of cities from all around the world. He was the principal editor of the work, he acquired the tables, hired the artists, and wrote the texts.

The main engraver for volumes I-IV was Frans Hogenberg (1535–1590), a Flemish and German painter, engraver, and mapmaker.

Condition Description

Slight discoloration along the centerfold and around the 'M' in the title.

References