Ancona ciuitas Piceni celeberrima, ade mare Adriaticum posita, nobilißimo portu est ornata quo non extat in tota Italia …

Title

Ancona ciuitas Piceni celeberrima, ade mare Adriaticum posita, nobilißimo portu est ornata quo non extat in tota Italia …

Description

Map shows the city of Ancona on the Adriatic Sea from a bird's eye view with magnificent cartouche and an index.

ca. 1595

Artist

Braun/Hogenberg (1572-1618)

Frans Hogenberg (1535 – 1590) was a Flemish and German painter, engraver, and mapmaker. Hogenberg was born in Mechelen as the son of Nicolaas Hogenberg In 1568 he was banned from Antwerp by the Duke of Alva. He travelled to London, where he stayed a few years before emigrating to Cologne. He is known for portraits and topographical views as well as historical allegories. He also produced scenes of contemporary historical events. George Braun (1541-1622), a cleric of Cologne, was the principal editor of the "Civitates Orbis Terrarum". The first volume of the Civitates Orbis Terrarum was published in Cologne in 1572. The sixth and the final volume appeared in 1617. This great city atlas, edited by Georg Braun and largely engraved by Franz Hogenberg, eventually contained 546 prospects, bird-eye views and map views of cities from all over the world. Braun (1541-1622), a cleric of Cologne, was the principal editor of the work, and was greatly assisted in his project by the close, and continued interest of Abraham Ortelius, whose Theatrum Orbis Terrarum of 1570 was, as a systematic and comprehensive collection of maps of uniform style, the first true atlas.

Historical Description

After the fall of the Roman Empire, Ancona was conquered and plundered by the Goths, Lombards and Saracens. However, it soon regained its former power and importance. Ancona belonged to the League of Cities of the Pentapolis led by Ravenna, the other four being Fano, Pesaro, Senigallia and Rimini. They became a maritime republic under the protectorate of the Pope until Luigi Gonzaga took possession of Ancona for Pope Clement VII in 1532. Pope Clement XII lengthened the quay and placed a scaled-down imitation of the Trajan triumphal arch on it. At the southern end of the harbor he had a lazaretto built by the architect Vanvitelli. With the exception of the French occupation, Ancona belonged to the Papal States until the Risorgimento and the unification of Italy.