Theatri praecipuarum totius mundi urbium

Acquired From: Leen Helmink

Colouring: Uncoloured

Condition: Very Good

Confirmed: Yes

Date Acquired: 30/11/2015

Description: The Civitates orbis terrarum (Cities of the World) is a monumental six-volume series of city views and plans, conceived as a cartographic and cultural companion to Abraham Orteliuss Theatrum orbis terrarum (for the 1584 edition View Record (#252)). The project was initiated by the Cologne cleric and scholar Georg Braun (15411622) and engraved largely by Frans Hogenberg (c. 15351590). The first volume was published in 1572, followed by successive volumes in 1575, 1581, 1588, 1598, and 16171618.nBraun authored the prefaces and descriptive texts for the first five volumes, while Hogenberg and his workshop produced the majority of the engravings. After Hogenbergs death, the project was continued by his son Abraham Hogenberg, in collaboration with the publisher Anton Hierat. The series was widely reprinted into the seventeenth century, often without significant revision, attesting to its enduring popularity and authority.nAlthough best known for its detailed city views, the Civitates is also notable for its allegorical title pages, which frame urban geography within broader moral, religious, and political narratives. They often engage directly with the confessional conflicts and geopolitical tensions of early modern Europe, positioning cities not merely as physical spaces, but as actors within a contested cultural and ideological landscape.nThis title page is from the final volume, Theatri praecipuarum totius mundi urbium (The Theatre of the Principal Cities of the World). Published under the direction of Abraham Hogenberg, son of Frans Hogenberg and the publisher Anton Hierat, this title page offers a powerful visual commentary on the political and religious conflicts of the time, particularly the tensions between the Catholic Habsburg Holy Roman Empire and the emergent Protestant states. nAt the top of the composition, two reclining figuresReligion and Justicetake centre stage. Religion, depicted with a crucifix, chalice, keys, and Bible, evokes the Virgin Mary, while Justice holds a set of scales, a military drum, and tablets inscribed with Discite IVSTITIAN moniti ("Learn Justice, you who are warned"). They are flanked by Praemium bonis (Reward of the Good), crowned and cornucopia-bearing, and Poena malis (Penalty of the Evil), with chains, a birch rod, and fasces.nIn the centre, two opposing rulersMatthias II, Holy Roman Emperor, and Frederick V, Elector Palatinesymbolise the fractured European order. Each is surrounded by their respective confessional and political supporters, with Protestant iconography clearly arrayed around Frederick. A vignette between them, captioned Modus hodiernus extruendarum munitionum (The present method of building fortifications), underscores the growing militarisation of Europe.nAt the base of the page, two contrasting vignettes encapsulate the human cost of ideological division: on the left, Peace is represented through scenes of agriculture, trade, and construction; on the right, War is depicted through destruction and conflagration. Centrally placed is the Latin motto Nulla salus BELLO PACEM te poscimus omnes (There is no salvation in warwe all beseech you for peace), a prescient plea on the eve of the Thirty Years War.nAs both an artistic and political artefact, this title page exemplifies the atlass broader intentnot merely to document cities, but to place them within the urgent religious and geopolitical narratives of their time.

Engraver: Hogenberg, Frans (1535-1590)

First published: Civitates orbis terrarum Vol. 6, Cologne: Anton Hierat, 1617-1618

Mapmaker: Braun, Georg (1541-1622) and Hogenberg, Frans (1535-1590)

Price: 425

Primary Category: Titlepage

Purchase Reference: Ledger 2022. Inv. 2015-008

Rarity: R3 Uncommon – dealers can usually obtain a copy

References: On the publication of the Civitates orbis terrarum, see Peter van der Krogt, Koemans Atlantes Neerlandici: The Town Atlases: Braun & Hogenberg, Janssonius, Blaeu, De Wit, Mortier and Others, vol. 4, Parts 1, 21. and 2.2, Koemans Atlantes Neerlandici (Utrecht: Hes & De Graaf, 2010), 35178. See also R. A. Skelton, Introduction, in Civitates Orbis Terrarum, 1st ser. vol. 1 (Amsterdam: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, 1966), viixxiii; Tine Luk Meganck, Erudite Eyes: Artists and Antiquarians in the Circle of Abraham Ortelius (Leiden: Brill, 2017), 133. See also Peter van der Krogt, Mapping the Towns of Europe: The European Towns in Braun & Hogenbergs Town Atlas, 1572-1617, Belgeo [Online] 34 (2008): 37198.

Shirley ID #: 12A Courtiers and Cannibals

Technique: Copper Engraving

This state: 1617-1618