Namurcum, elegantissima ad Mosae Flume Civitas.

Title

Namurcum, elegantissima ad Mosae Flume Civitas.

Description

Splendid bird's-eye view of the Belgian city of Namur from the south, featuring a decorative title cartouche and figural staffage in the foreground. In this first edition from 1581, the reverse side of the copperplate was printed with a half-page of Latin descriptive text and numbered as sheet 32.

ca. 1581

Artist

Braun/Hogenberg Franz/ Georg (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

Namur is a historic city in southern Belgium and the capital of Wallonia. It developed around the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers and became an important strategic and trading center. Its citadel played a major role in European warfare, as Namur was repeatedly fought over by France, Spain, Austria, and other powers. In 1692, French King Louis XIV captured the city, while it changed hands again during later European wars. Since the 19th century, Namur has been part of Belgium and serves as the political center of Wallonia.