COMMENTARY BY BRAUN (on verso): "Not far from Seville lies San Juan de Aznalfarache with the ancient ruined walls of a huge palace. The site lies on a hill on the River Bétis, called the Guadalquivir from the Arabic, meaning big river. Even today, simple brick-vaulted tombs are often uncovered by the daily ploughing of the fields in front of Seville. When they still ruled Hispania, the Moors built other such towers out of brick with such artistry that anyone who sees them must be astonished."

The plate illustrates three sites near Seville, framed on either side by views of the Giralda, the famous bell tower of Seville cathedral. Still, the city's most familiar landmark, the Giralda, is shown on the left in a façade view, while on the right, a cut-away view reveals the tower's internal staircase, a ramp that could be ridden up on horseback. The Giralda was originally the minaret of the Mezquita Major, commenced in 1172. After the Reconquista, however, the Moorish mosque was replaced by the cathedral of Santa Maria de la Juan de Aznalfarache, southwest of Seville. During the Muslim Al-Andalus period (from the 8th cent. onwards), it was called Hisn-al-Faray, which means "castle with a view" and is the origin of today's Aznalfarache. The castle in question was built in 1196/97. In 1248, after being reconquered from the Moors, the site passed to the Order of St John (San Juan) of Jerusalem, hence the first part of the town's name. The middle view shows the hilltop village of Gerena, northwest of Seville. The city goes back to a Roman settlement, and many Roman remains are still to be found there. These include sections of an aqueduct, which carried water to the Roman city of Italica. The aqueduct and the ruins of Italica are probably the subjects of the lower view. Italica was founded in 206 BC by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus and was used as a quarry after the arrival of the Moors in 711. As a vanitas motif above the tombs, Hoefnagel has included an antique motto taken from the Appendix Vergiliana and widespread within humanism: Vivitur ingenio caetera mortis erunt - "Genius live on, all else is mortal." (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 greatest 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. A large number of the plates were engraved after the original drawings of Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600), who was a professional artist. 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 created 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 in 1612. The next 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. In 1561 he obtained his bachelor's degree, and in 1562 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.