View of the city of Venice, Braun & Hogenberg, 1581

Splendid bird's eye view of Venice from the 16 th century book Civitates Orbis Terrarum. The detailed engraving captures the city, documenting its buildings and extensive network of bridges and canals. The view shows important landmarks. Among them are the Piazza San Marco, with its famous basilica, Campanile (bell tower) and tall columns supporting statues of the Lion of Venice and St. Theodore. The many small islands surrounding the city are also depicted and labeled, such as the Island of San Giorgio with its Palladian church and monastery as well as Murano, where glass-making workshops were located. Ships, boats and gondolas traverse the waterways. Below the view, a vignette illustrates a procession of the doge of Venice (chief magistrate and government official) accompanied by other officials. Colored copper engraving from the Latin edition. Dimensions: 53 x 42 cm