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Introduction:

Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg began the process of creating a comprehensive atlas of the cities of the world in 1572. Their book, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, was originally intended as a companion to Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, the first true atlas.

The great atlas was edited by Georg Braun, with Franz Hogenberg engraving many of the views. When the project was finished, the series would contain over 546 views (sometimes with multiple views on a single plate).

Civitates Orbis Terrarum includes the work of over 100 artists and topographers, perhaps most notable among them was the superlative talent of Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). He provided original drawings of Spanish and Italian towns, as well as reworking and improving the town drawings of other artists. After Joris's death, his son Jakob continued the project.

The Civitates provides an incredibly comprehensive view of urban life in the late 16th century. Many of the views in these volumes are the earliest of their respective towns -- either absolutely, or they are predated only by impossible rarities, as in the case of London. Cities portrayed range from the great capitals of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas to small Swiss hamlets and other tiny villages. As such, this singular and indispensable source for understanding the early modern world.

The work was published in six volumes, each of which contained approximately sixty plates. The subject matter of each plate varied widely, it could provide a single view of a city, two views of the same city, or views of up to nine different cities. The range of designs is extensive, and it is interesting to compare the variety between views of the same city by two different authors.


Place/Date:
Cologne / 1572 (1599)
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
98995
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1596 circa
Size:
18.75 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
96138
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1593 circa
Size:
19.5 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
76977
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1593
Size:
17.25 x 12.25 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
77625
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1588
Size:
19 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
98702
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1593
Size:
18 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
76392
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1575
Size:
19.25 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
96357
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1593 circa
Size:
18.5 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
89289
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1599
Size:
19.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
96874
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1593
Size:
14.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
96903
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1599
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
90839
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1572 (1593)
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
95274
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1599
Size:
16.5 x 11.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
96877
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1597 circa
Size:
31 x 18 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
96852
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1599
Size:
18.5 x 13 inches
Condition:
Stock#:
96863
Place/Date:
Frankfurt / 1581
Size:
19.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
101391
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1617
Size:
18.5 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
91087

Archived

Place/Date:
Cologne / 1575
Size:
19.25 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
89301
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1593
Size:
18.5 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
77208
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1586 circa
Size:
19 x 12 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
67630
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1600 circa
Size:
20 x 14.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
78388
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1599
Size:
20 x 13 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
96860
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1572
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
31357
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1572
Size:
19 x 14 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
54896mp2
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1599
Size:
18.7 x 14.6 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
96865
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1599
Size:
16.3 x 14.2 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
96866
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1596 circa
Size:
31 x 18 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
83102
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1617
Size:
19.5 x 12.5 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
85803
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1572 circa
Size:
19 x 13.5 inches
Condition:
Good
Stock#:
68660
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1572
Size:
19 x 10.5 inches
Condition:
VG
Stock#:
78302
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1572 circa
Size:
19 x 11 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
95885
Place/Date:
Cologne / 1599
Size:
18.75 x 12.75 inches
Condition:
VG+
Stock#:
96864