Serravalle (Vittorio Veneto), by Georg Braun & Frans Hogenberg 1635
TRANSLATION OF CAPTION: Serravalle, celebrated town in the province of Tarvisianium, chief town of the Forum Juliensis region.
CARTOUCHE: The picture of the town of Serravalle, which you see, viewer, has been contributed to our work entirely at his own expense by Minutius, son of Hieronymus Minutius, a noble gentleman and one renowned for the far-reaching competence of his jurisdiction. We saw him sojourning in Cologne, where he was on business for Gregory XIII; while our good wishes accompany him, we should also like to accompany him on his way with this remembrance, even though it might be against his will, so that even those who have not seen him may learn of his excellence. However, those who do not yet know him will also see his excellence if God the Almighty does not summon erring souls too soon back to the eternal seat of the Blessed.
COMMENTARY BY BRAUN: "Serravalle, a market town renowned for cloth, wine and grain, is in such a beautiful situation that the number of its inhabitants, attracted by the loveliness of the place, has grown so much at times that the wall encircling it has had to be enlarged for the third time. The city with the surrounding town once belonged to the Church in Ceneda as an imperial fief. It subsequently became the seat of the Da Camino family (a princely house that was one of the five most noble in Italy at that time). Now the city is under the sway of the Venetians but is prudently governed by them. They send only one city councillor with instructions to ensure justice prevails and to collect duties. In all else, power lies in the hands of the noble families."
The view from the west into the valley shows the town of Serravalle in an idyllic setting in the Alpine foothills and surrounded by orchards. The tall bell tower of St Mary's cathedral stands out at the centre, and on the west side of the marketplace is the town hall with the square bell tower next to it that is today the city's landmark. Patrician palaces with gardens at the rear line on one side of the square. The loggias of the shops are on the opposite side of the main square. The figures in the foreground emphasize Serravalle's importance as an agricultural centre. On the left-hand edge of the illustration is the 8th-century stronghold of the Counts of Camino. The entire city is well protected by the spaciously laid-out city walls that extend up the hillside, where the pilgrimage shrine of the martyred Augusta can be identified. In 1337 Serravalle fell to the Republic of Venice. In 1866 the town was united with neighbouring Ceneda to form the town of Vittorio Veneto. (Taschen)
Braun G. & Hogenberg F. and the Civitates Orbis Terrarum.
The Civitates Orbis Terrarum, or 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 wrote the text accompanying the plans and views on the verso. Many plates were engraved after the original drawings of a professional artist, a professional artist, Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). The first volume was published in Latin in 1572, and the sixth in 1617. Frans Hogenberg 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. Works by Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf were also used. Translations appeared in German and French.
Following the original publication of Volume 1 of the Civitates in 1572, seven further editions of 1575, 1577, 1582, 1588, 1593, 1599 and 1612 can be identified. Vol.2, first issued in 1575, was followed by further editions in 1597 and 1612. The subsequent volumes appeared in 1581, 1588, 1593, 1599 and 1606. The German translation of the first volume appeared from 1574 on, and the French edition from 1575 on.
Several printers were involved: Theodor Graminaeus, Heinrich von Aich, Gottfried von Kempen, Johannis Sinniger, Bertram Buchholtz and Peter von Brachel, who all worked in Cologne.
Georg Braun (1541-1622)
Georg Braun was born in Cologne in 1541. After his studies in Cologne, he entered the Jesuit Order as a novice. 1561, he obtained his bachelor's degree, and in 1562, he received his Magister Artium. Although he left the Jesuit Order, he studied theology, gaining a licentiate in theology.
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.
Seravallum Celeberrimum Marchiae Tarusiniae.
Item Number: 22289 Authenticity Guarantee
Category: Antique maps > Europe > Italy - Cities
Bird's-eye view plan of Serravalle (Vittorio Veneto), by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg.
Title: Seravallum Celeberrimum Marchiae Tarusiniae.
Date of the first edition: 1588.
Date of this map: 1635.
Copper engraving, printed on paper.
Size (not including margins): 333 x 483mm (13.11 x 19.02 inches).
Verso: Latin text.
Condition: Uncoloured, excellent.
Condition Rating: A+.
From: Liber quartus Urbium Praecipuarum totius Mundi. Cologne, Petrus von Brachel, 1635. (Van der Krogt 4, 41:1.4(1599))
TRANSLATION OF CAPTION: Serravalle, celebrated town in the province of Tarvisianium, chief town of the Forum Juliensis region.
CARTOUCHE: The picture of the town of Serravalle, which you see, viewer, has been contributed to our work entirely at his own expense by Minutius, son of Hieronymus Minutius, a noble gentleman and one renowned for the far-reaching competence of his jurisdiction. We saw him sojourning in Cologne, where he was on business for Gregory XIII; while our good wishes accompany him, we should also like to accompany him on his way with this remembrance, even though it might be against his will, so that even those who have not seen him may learn of his excellence. However, those who do not yet know him will also see his excellence if God the Almighty does not summon erring souls too soon back to the eternal seat of the Blessed.
COMMENTARY BY BRAUN: "Serravalle, a market town renowned for cloth, wine and grain, is in such a beautiful situation that the number of its inhabitants, attracted by the loveliness of the place, has grown so much at times that the wall encircling it has had to be enlarged for the third time. The city with the surrounding town once belonged to the Church in Ceneda as an imperial fief. It subsequently became the seat of the Da Camino family (a princely house that was one of the five most noble in Italy at that time). Now the city is under the sway of the Venetians but is prudently governed by them. They send only one city councillor with instructions to ensure justice prevails and to collect duties. In all else, power lies in the hands of the noble families."
The view from the west into the valley shows the town of Serravalle in an idyllic setting in the Alpine foothills and surrounded by orchards. The tall bell tower of St Mary's cathedral stands out at the centre, and on the west side of the marketplace is the town hall with the square bell tower next to it that is today the city's landmark. Patrician palaces with gardens at the rear line on one side of the square. The loggias of the shops are on the opposite side of the main square. The figures in the foreground emphasize Serravalle's importance as an agricultural centre. On the left-hand edge of the illustration is the 8th-century stronghold of the Counts of Camino. The entire city is well protected by the spaciously laid-out city walls that extend up the hillside, where the pilgrimage shrine of the martyred Augusta can be identified. In 1337 Serravalle fell to the Republic of Venice. In 1866 the town was united with neighbouring Ceneda to form the town of Vittorio Veneto. (Taschen)
Braun G. & Hogenberg F. and the Civitates Orbis Terrarum.
The Civitates Orbis Terrarum, or 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 wrote the text accompanying the plans and views on the verso. Many plates were engraved after the original drawings of a professional artist, a professional artist, Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). The first volume was published in Latin in 1572, and the sixth in 1617. Frans Hogenberg 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. Works by Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf were also used. Translations appeared in German and French.
Following the original publication of Volume 1 of the Civitates in 1572, seven further editions of 1575, 1577, 1582, 1588, 1593, 1599 and 1612 can be identified. Vol.2, first issued in 1575, was followed by further editions in 1597 and 1612. The subsequent volumes appeared in 1581, 1588, 1593, 1599 and 1606. The German translation of the first volume appeared from 1574 on, and the French edition from 1575 on.
Several printers were involved: Theodor Graminaeus, Heinrich von Aich, Gottfried von Kempen, Johannis Sinniger, Bertram Buchholtz and Peter von Brachel, who all worked in Cologne.
Georg Braun (1541-1622)
Georg Braun was born in Cologne in 1541. After his studies in Cologne, he entered the Jesuit Order as a novice. 1561, he obtained his bachelor's degree, and in 1562, he received his Magister Artium. Although he left the Jesuit Order, he studied theology, gaining a licentiate in theology.
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.