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This fine engraving from Civitates Orbis Terrarum—the great sixteenth-century atlas of city views—presents paired prospects of Oxford and Windsor, twin emblems of Tudor England’s intellectual and monarchical power. Issued in Cologne in 1575, the plate was engraved by Frans Hogenberg after drawings made in England by Georg Hoefnagel, whose eye for both architectural precision and human narrative helped define the Civitates’ distinctive blend of topography and pageantry.
The upper view captures Oxford from the south, across the green floodplain of the Isis. The city’s skyline is tightly packed with college spires, towers, and domes, dominated by the pointed steeple of St. Mary’s and the square tower of what is now Magdalen College. In the foreground, sheep graze and a sheepdog and shepherd follow, while two robed scholars engaged in debate, embody the university’s learned tradition. Above them floats the city’s seal, a red ox crossing stylized blue waves, set in a laurel wreath.
Below, the view shifts downstream to Windsor. Hoefnagel presents the royal castle in full elevation, stretching the Round Tower (here erroneously called the "Winchester tour"), Upper Ward, and St. George’s Chapel into a single imposing composition. Courtly figures in rich dress and plumed hats parade across the foreground meadow, their stylized poses lending theatrical charm. Behind them, huntsmen run and ride in pursuit of a stag through the park, invoking Windsor’s dual identity as royal seat and hunting domain.
These views offer a visual affirmation of Tudor order. Oxford stands for learning and tradition; Windsor for power and pageantry. Together they serve as symbols of England’s emergent Renaissance culture, filtered through the cosmopolitan lens of Hoefnagel and the Cologne shop of Braun and Hogenberg.
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.
