Civitates Orbis Terrarum - 1574

Civitates Orbis Terrarum – 1574

This collection of cityscapes across the entire world including Europe, Asian, Africa, and even the New World is considered to be the oldest work of its kind. This enormous six-volume work, also known under the title (in German) Beschreibung und Contrafactur der vornembster Stät der Welt, was edited and created over a period of nearly fifty years between 1572 and 1618. It not only stimulates the mind, but also offers the eye endless enjoyment through the lovely design and artist shaping of the maps. The edition from 1574 contains 139 colored cityscapes that include Siena, Venice, Lyon (labelled Lugdunum), Liège (labelled Leodium), Mexico City, and Cusco, Peru.
The masterful etchings resembling standalone panel paintings were artfully colored along with the staffage and genre scenes that accompany them. The historical importance of this work is also crucial because it provides a systematic mapping of the structures of many medieval cities that were, shortly after the publication of this book, destroyed or severely damaged during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48) and subsequently renovated in the Baroque style.

A Team Effort

The theologian, canon, and dean from Cologne, Georg Braun (1541–1622) undertook only a few journeys himself as the author and publisher of the Civitatis Orbis Terrarum. Instead, he was able to obtain many examples through his numerous contacts, which could then be executed by the copperplate engraver and etcher Franz Hogenberg (1535–1590). Frans created the plates for vols. I–IV while his son Abraham and Simon van den Neuwel were responsible for vols. V and VI. Each of these city views are complete with descriptions of the geography, history, and economy of each of the respective locations, which were authored by Braun. Furthermore, there is information concerning local coats of arms as well as elevation markers.

Slices of Life

The cityscapes also contain small genre scenes showing the lives of the inhabitants of these cities engaged in the activities of their daily lives, which gives the reader information about what each local population generally did for a living. Farmers work the fields outside the city and fishermen angle in the rivers that they are situated on. Other details include carriages, ships, and contemporary folk costumes, which enliven the exquisite pictures and convey a realistic impression of everyday life at the end of the Middle Ages**. The modern beholder thus receives an inside look into local customs and learns contemporary fashions.