Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg, Vienna Avstriae, Cologne, 1572-1617
This object is a large-format engraving of the city of Vienna from a bird’s-eye perspective, taken from the city atlas Civitates Orbis Terrarum by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg. The depiction shows the cityscape of Vienna in the late 16th century within the medieval city walls, before the major Baroque fortification expansion phases. St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Templum D. Stephani) is clearly highlighted in the centre of the composition. The foreground is occupied by a branch of the Danube with numerous ships and boats, marked with the inscription DANVBIVS FLVVIVS. At the top edge of the image is a central, decorative strapwork cartouche with the Latin title VIENNA AVSTRIAE. The view is flanked in the upper corners by two coats of arms: on the left, a quarterly coat of arms; on the right, the coat of arms of the city of Vienna with a white cross on a red ground. The scene is indexed by numerous small numbers referring to prominent buildings and squares. The hand-colouring includes shades of blue for water and slate roofs, red tones for brick buildings, and green and brown tones for the surrounding landscape. On the reverse of the frame is a comprehensive, pasted paper label with the title ‘Vienna’ and a Latin index of numbers 1 to 86, starting with 1. Templum D. Stephani up to 86. Mons Niueus. The print shows a central vertical fold mark. The sheet is framed under glass in a moulded, gold-coloured wooden frame.
[ translate ]This object is a large-format engraving of the city of Vienna from a bird’s-eye perspective, taken from the city atlas Civitates Orbis Terrarum by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg. The depiction shows the cityscape of Vienna in the late 16th century within the medieval city walls, before the major Baroque fortification expansion phases. St. Stephen’s Cathedral (Templum D. Stephani) is clearly highlighted in the centre of the composition. The foreground is occupied by a branch of the Danube with numerous ships and boats, marked with the inscription DANVBIVS FLVVIVS. At the top edge of the image is a central, decorative strapwork cartouche with the Latin title VIENNA AVSTRIAE. The view is flanked in the upper corners by two coats of arms: on the left, a quarterly coat of arms; on the right, the coat of arms of the city of Vienna with a white cross on a red ground. The scene is indexed by numerous small numbers referring to prominent buildings and squares. The hand-colouring includes shades of blue for water and slate roofs, red tones for brick buildings, and green and brown tones for the surrounding landscape. On the reverse of the frame is a comprehensive, pasted paper label with the title ‘Vienna’ and a Latin index of numbers 1 to 86, starting with 1. Templum D. Stephani up to 86. Mons Niueus. The print shows a central vertical fold mark. The sheet is framed under glass in a moulded, gold-coloured wooden frame.
[ translate ]
