Paesi Bassi / Francia - Valenciennes / Valencena; Braun - Hogenberg - Valencena quondam Cygnorum vallis urbs Han: perelegans et valde magnifica - 1601-1620

Splendid 16th/17th-century perspective plan of the fortified city of Valenciennes, engraved on copper by Braun and Hogenberg and masterfully hand-colored in watercolor.

This extraordinary and detailed bird’s-eye view of the city of Valenciennes, titled in the cartouche “Valencena quondam Cygnorum vallis urbs Han: perelegans et valde magnifica,” is a work of great historical value, born of the celebrated collaboration between publisher Georg Braun (1541–1622) and engraver Frans Hogenberg (1535–1590). Printed in Cologne between the late 16th and early 17th centuries, this superb copper engraving originally formed part of the monumental Civitates Orbis Terrarum, the publishing masterpiece that revolutionized urban cartography worldwide.
The composition magnificently depicts the medieval and Renaissance urban fabric of Valenciennes, once an important center of the County of Hainaut in the Spanish Netherlands. The map shows with exceptional accuracy the dense network of streets, squares, soaring churches, and imposing fortified walls surrounded by the waters of the River Scheldt and its canals, which provided formidable natural defenses. The decorative elements are rich and highly evocative: at the lower left is an elegant Renaissance cartouche supported by a masked figure and bearing the title, while two splendid, finely illuminated coats of arms appear prominently at the top, including the one on the right depicting the famous swan that recalls the city’s ancient poetic name. In the lower right corner, the work is completed by a pair of figures in traditional period dress, included by the authors to document the local attire of the time.
The print is in excellent overall condition. Printed on sturdy period paper with a watermark, it boasts magnificent hand-applied watercolor coloring that highlights the outlines of the buildings, the canals, and the rich details of the costumes and coats of arms. The sheet shows the normal central publisher’s fold resulting from its original placement in the atlas, retains clean, sound margins, and bears the customary printed historical text on the reverse, a feature that confirms its authenticity and its place among the work’s prestigious early editions.

Dimensions: 33 x 40 cm
Will be shipped by courier