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Fine example of the Braun & Hogenberg Plan of Rome, first published in the 1588 edition of the Civitates Orbis Terrarum.
Braun & Hogenberg's view is based upon the work of Pirro. However, the title banner and lower key embellishments are completely revised, the former lacking the strapwork used by Braun & Hogenberg and replaced with a tapestry style fringe, while the lower key is now embellished with images of two nobles.
Rome is shown from the west in a bird's-eye view that was a major achievement in its day. It includes the most important buildings from antiquity, several aqueducts, the Aurelian Wall and large arterial streets. The three figures in Roman garb in the foreground underscore the aim of meticulous reconstruction.
Mont Testaccio is shown on the far side of the Tiber in the lower right-hand edge of the picture, with the Pyramid of Cestius above it to the right. At the center of the illustration the Marcellus Theatre can be identified above the island in the Tiber, with the vast Circus Maximus, used for chariot races, just above it to the right. Above that is the Palatine represented with intricately detailed buildings, an indication of the confusion at the time about how the seat of imperial power actually looked.
To the north the Coliseum flanks the Palatine. In the lower left-hand part of the picture field is the Campus Martius, with the stadium of Domitian at the center, site of the modern Piazza Navona. Slightly higher up is the Pantheon with its monumental dome, looking as it does today. On the lower left edge the two great imperial mausoleums are shown as they would have appeared during the Roman epoch. Above the mausoleum of Augustus and below, at the bend in the river, is that of Hadrian.
In the lower left-hand corner, the Mons Vaticanus with the Circus built by Caligua and a Neronian palace are recognizable outside the city. The baths of Diocletan dominate the northeastern part of the city. The Castra Praetoria, the barracks of the Praetorian Guard, is shown below the city walls in the upper left-hand corner.
This is the final state of the map, which was later re-issued by Vander Aa In the Galerie Agreeable Du Monde.
Georg Braun (1541-1622) was born and died in Cologne. His primary vocation was as Catholic cleric; he spent thirty-seven years as canon and dean at the church St. Maria ad Gradus, in Cologne. Braun was the chief editor of the Civitates orbis terrarum, the greatest book of town views ever published. His job entailed hiring artists, acquiring source material for the maps and views, and writing the text. In this role, he was assisted by Abraham Ortelius. Braun lived into his 80s, and he was the only member of the original team to witness the publication of the sixth volume in 1617.
Frans Hogenberg (ca. 1540-ca. 1590) was a Flemish and German engraver and mapmaker who also painted. He was born in Mechelen, south of Antwerp, the son of wood engraver and etcher Nicolas Hogenberg. Together with his father, brother (Remigius), uncle, and cousins, Frans was one member of a prominent artistic family in the Netherlands.
During the 1550s, Frans worked in Antwerp with the famous mapmaker Abraham Ortelius. There, he engraved the maps for Ortelius’ groundbreaking first atlas, published in Antwerp in 1570, along with Johannes van Deotecum and Ambrosius and Ferdinand Arsenius. It is suspected he engraved the title page as well. Later, Ortelius supported Hogenberg with information for a different project, the Civitates orbis terrarium (edited by Georg Braun, engraved by Hogenberg, published in six volumes, Cologne, 1572-1617). Hogenberg engraved the majority of the work’s 546 prospects and views.
It is possible that Frans spent some time in England while fleeing from religious persecution, but he was living and working in Cologne by 1580. That is the city where he died around 1590. In addition to his maps, he is known for his historical allegories and portraits. His brother, Remigius, also went on to some fame as an engraver, and he died around the same time as his brother.
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