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Description

Original antique engraving of the Portuguese city of Braga, by the best viewmakers of the 16th century, Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg, first published in 1594.

The view centers on the "Temphem maximum", the large church at the middle of the town. The town itself is surrounded by walls and a river flows just below it.

At the top left is the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Braga.  At the top right, the coat of arms of the city.

Translation of text at top left: "To the most illustrious Lord, Brother Augustin of Jesus of Braga, Archbishop and Lord Primate of the Spains, Magnate of Lusitania, Counselor to His Royal Majesty, Gaspar Alvarus Machiadus, the ecclesiastical historian of Holy Braga, has named [this work] on the Ides of August, in the year 1594."

Text at center right: ""The river Alestes, whose sources are on Mount Spino, four hours away from Braga by Augustan miles, irrigates a most delightful valley adjacent to the city, cultivated with many gardens, orchards, and greenhouses. This is marvelous: it produces no tree from the harmful kinds of apple, with which otherwise this entire province abounds. It washes the city, and flows into a river of greater fame near the ancient town of Villa Comitis. Some falsely call this [river] Sethen"

Third Image: "To the candid spectator. Bracara Augusta was named by Augustus Caesar. The reader is present by the ingenuity of our Gaspar. Now more majestic with Augustine as ruler, with the tombs of the divine Pontiffs, and the councils of the fathers. Doctor Sebastianus Dalfaro [is] the Secretary to the Most Illustrious Primate.."

Civitates Orbis Terrarum: The Greatest City Book

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.

Georg Braun Biography

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 Biography

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.