This product is successfully added to your cart
Questions about this product? (#30113)

Authenticity Guarantee
All items are guaranteed authentic prints (woodcuts or engravings) or manuscripts made at or about (c.) the given date and in good condition unless stated otherwise. We don’t sell facsimiles or reproductions. We deliver every map with a Certificate of Authenticity containing all the details.

Komarno (Slovakia) by Georg Braun & Frans Hogenberg. 1617

 COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso):  "Near Rába-Györ lies Komárno, a small town that the Turks ravaged on several occasions. In our day, however, it is famous for a mighty fortress that Ferdinand I had built at one end of the Island of Schütt in the Danube to protect the surrounding area. Due to the convergence of the two rivers from both sides, it was built like the tip of a sword, as if it were the stern of a large ship. A deep moat separates the town from the fortress, which can be reached via a wooden drawbridge. In this way, the fortress resembles a triangle of a flat pyramid."   
  
 Komárno is presented in two views, seen from different angles. In the top engraving, we look across the river towards the fortress of Komárno, which lies within the confluence of the Váh and the Danube. It was designed and constructed on the ruins of a medieval castle by Italian engineers in the 16th century as a counterpart to the Györ fortress. Visible on the right is the Komárno market, situated on the Island of Schütt. The fortress and its neighbouring settlement were famous within the Kingdom of Hungary as the Ottoman Empire never conquered them. In the bottom engraving, the fortress is seen from a different angle, allowing the viewer to appreciate its strategic position between the Danube and Váh Rivers on the southeast tip of Schütt Island and to look down into the interior of the fortified complex. On the left is the Hungarian bank of the Danube, where the town of Komárno is located today; the town of Komárno on the right shore now forms part of Slovakia. The battle scenes on water and land refer to the military conflicts with the Ottomans.

Braun G. & Hogenberg F. and the Civitates Orbis Terrarum.

The Civitates Orbis Terrarum, also known as the 'Braun & Hogenberg', is a six-volume town atlas and the most excellent book of town views and plans ever published: 363 engravings, sometimes beautifully coloured. It was one of the best-selling works in the last quarter of the 16th century. Georg Braun, a skilled writer, wrote the text accompanying the plans and views on the verso. Many plates were engraved after the original drawings of a professional artist, Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). The first volume was published in Latin in 1572 and the sixth in 1617. Frans Hogenberg, a talented engraver, created the tables for volumes I through IV, and Simon van den Neuwel made those for volumes V and VI. Other contributors were cartographers Daniel Freese and Heinrich Rantzau, who provided valuable geographical information. Works by Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf were also used as references. Translations appeared in German and French, making the atlas accessible to a wider audience.

Since its original publication of volume 1 in 1572, the Civitates Orbis Terrarum has left an indelible mark on the history of cartography. The first volume was followed by seven more editions in 1575, 1577, 1582, 1588, 1593, 1599, and 1612. Vol.2, initially released in 1575, saw subsequent editions in 1597 and 1612. The subsequent volumes, each a treasure trove of historical insights, graced the world in 1581, 1588, 1593, 1599, and 1606. The German translation of the first volume, a testament to its widespread appeal, debuted in 1574, followed by the French edition in 1575.

Several printers were involved: Theodor Graminaeus, Heinrich von Aich, Gottfried von Kempen, Johannis Sinniger, Bertram Buchholtz, and Peter von Brachel, all of whom worked in Cologne.

Georg Braun (1541-1622)

Georg Braun, the author of the text accompanying the plans and views in the Civitates Orbis Terrarum, was born in Cologne in 1541. After his studies in Cologne, he entered the Jesuit Order as a novice, indicating his commitment to learning and intellectual pursuits. In 1561, he obtained his bachelor's degree; in 1562, he received his Magister Artium, further demonstrating his academic achievements. Although he left the Jesuit Order, he continued his studies in theology, gaining a licentiate in theology. His theological background likely influenced the content and tone of the text in the Civitates Orbis Terrarum, adding a unique perspective to the work.

Frans Hogenberg (1535-1590)

Frans Hogenberg was a Flemish and German painter, engraver, and mapmaker. He was born in Mechelen as the son of Nicolaas Hogenberg.

By the end of the 1560s, Frans Hogenberg was employed upon Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, published in 1570; he is named an engraver of numerous maps. In 1568, he was banned from Antwerp by the Duke of Alva and travelled to London, where he stayed a few years before emigrating to Cologne. He immediately embarked on his two most important works, the Civitates, published in 1572 and the Geschichtsblätter, which appeared in several series from 1569 until about 1587.

Thanks to large-scale projects like the Geschichtsblätter and the Civitates, Hogenberg's social circumstances improved with each passing year. He died as a wealthy man in Cologne in 1590.

back

Comorra.

€400  ($424 / £340)
add to cart
Buy now
questions?
PRINT

Item Number:  30113 Authenticity Guarantee

Category:  Antique maps > Europe > Central Europe

Antique map with two views of Komárno (Slovakia), by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg: One from the northeast of the castle and city, and one from the northwest of the citadel.

Title: Comorra.
Comminicavit G. Houf. A° 1595. depict. a filio.

Date of the first edition: 1596.
Date of this map: 1617.
Date on map: 1595.

Copper engraving, printed on paper.
Image size: 360 x 510mm (14.17 x 20.08 inches).
Sheet size: 405 x 520mm (15.94 x 20.47 inches).
Verso: Latin text.
Condition: Excellent.
Condition Rating: A+.

From: G. Braun & F. Hogenberg. Civitates Orbis Terrarum. - Urbium Praecipuarum Mundi Theatrum Quintum. Cologne, Petrus von Brachel, 1617. (Van der Krogt 41:1.5 (1617)).

 COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso):  "Near Rába-Györ lies Komárno, a small town that the Turks ravaged on several occasions. In our day, however, it is famous for a mighty fortress that Ferdinand I had built at one end of the Island of Schütt in the Danube to protect the surrounding area. Due to the convergence of the two rivers from both sides, it was built like the tip of a sword, as if it were the stern of a large ship. A deep moat separates the town from the fortress, which can be reached via a wooden drawbridge. In this way, the fortress resembles a triangle of a flat pyramid."   
  
 Komárno is presented in two views, seen from different angles. In the top engraving, we look across the river towards the fortress of Komárno, which lies within the confluence of the Váh and the Danube. It was designed and constructed on the ruins of a medieval castle by Italian engineers in the 16th century as a counterpart to the Györ fortress. Visible on the right is the Komárno market, situated on the Island of Schütt. The fortress and its neighbouring settlement were famous within the Kingdom of Hungary as the Ottoman Empire never conquered them. In the bottom engraving, the fortress is seen from a different angle, allowing the viewer to appreciate its strategic position between the Danube and Váh Rivers on the southeast tip of Schütt Island and to look down into the interior of the fortified complex. On the left is the Hungarian bank of the Danube, where the town of Komárno is located today; the town of Komárno on the right shore now forms part of Slovakia. The battle scenes on water and land refer to the military conflicts with the Ottomans.

Braun G. & Hogenberg F. and the Civitates Orbis Terrarum.

The Civitates Orbis Terrarum, also known as the 'Braun & Hogenberg', is a six-volume town atlas and the most excellent book of town views and plans ever published: 363 engravings, sometimes beautifully coloured. It was one of the best-selling works in the last quarter of the 16th century. Georg Braun, a skilled writer, wrote the text accompanying the plans and views on the verso. Many plates were engraved after the original drawings of a professional artist, Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). The first volume was published in Latin in 1572 and the sixth in 1617. Frans Hogenberg, a talented engraver, created the tables for volumes I through IV, and Simon van den Neuwel made those for volumes V and VI. Other contributors were cartographers Daniel Freese and Heinrich Rantzau, who provided valuable geographical information. Works by Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf were also used as references. Translations appeared in German and French, making the atlas accessible to a wider audience.

Since its original publication of volume 1 in 1572, the Civitates Orbis Terrarum has left an indelible mark on the history of cartography. The first volume was followed by seven more editions in 1575, 1577, 1582, 1588, 1593, 1599, and 1612. Vol.2, initially released in 1575, saw subsequent editions in 1597 and 1612. The subsequent volumes, each a treasure trove of historical insights, graced the world in 1581, 1588, 1593, 1599, and 1606. The German translation of the first volume, a testament to its widespread appeal, debuted in 1574, followed by the French edition in 1575.

Several printers were involved: Theodor Graminaeus, Heinrich von Aich, Gottfried von Kempen, Johannis Sinniger, Bertram Buchholtz, and Peter von Brachel, all of whom worked in Cologne.

Georg Braun (1541-1622)

Georg Braun, the author of the text accompanying the plans and views in the Civitates Orbis Terrarum, was born in Cologne in 1541. After his studies in Cologne, he entered the Jesuit Order as a novice, indicating his commitment to learning and intellectual pursuits. In 1561, he obtained his bachelor's degree; in 1562, he received his Magister Artium, further demonstrating his academic achievements. Although he left the Jesuit Order, he continued his studies in theology, gaining a licentiate in theology. His theological background likely influenced the content and tone of the text in the Civitates Orbis Terrarum, adding a unique perspective to the work.

Frans Hogenberg (1535-1590)

Frans Hogenberg was a Flemish and German painter, engraver, and mapmaker. He was born in Mechelen as the son of Nicolaas Hogenberg.

By the end of the 1560s, Frans Hogenberg was employed upon Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, published in 1570; he is named an engraver of numerous maps. In 1568, he was banned from Antwerp by the Duke of Alva and travelled to London, where he stayed a few years before emigrating to Cologne. He immediately embarked on his two most important works, the Civitates, published in 1572 and the Geschichtsblätter, which appeared in several series from 1569 until about 1587.

Thanks to large-scale projects like the Geschichtsblätter and the Civitates, Hogenberg's social circumstances improved with each passing year. He died as a wealthy man in Cologne in 1590.

References: Van der Krogt 4 - #2106; Fauser - #6794 & #6795; Taschen (Br. Hog.) - p.399