Belgio / Paesi Bassi / Francia - Landrecies, Chimay, Avesnes-sur-Helpe and Mariembourg; Braun - Hogenberg - Landreci., CIMAI., Auesnes. e Mariebourg. - 1601-1620

Splendid 16th/17th-century copper engraving featuring four perspective plans of the fortified cities of Landrecies, Chimay, Avesnes and Mariembourg, engraved by Braun and Hogenberg and masterfully hand-coloured in watercolour.

This extraordinary composite map, presenting bird’s-eye perspective views of the historic border towns of Landrecies, Chimay, Avesnes and Mariembourg in four separate panels, is the work of the celebrated and successful partnership 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 became the first major world atlas devoted entirely to urban iconography and topography.
The composition depicts with remarkable geometric and descriptive precision four crucial strategic centres in the historic region between the County of Hainaut and Flanders, territories that were disputed at the time and under the control of the Spanish Netherlands. Each panel meticulously maps the development of Renaissance-era fortifications, highlighting bastioned walls, flooded moats and the orderly layout of squares and urban fabric, as in the case of Mariembourg’s perfect star-shaped geometric plan. The work is embellished with Mannerist cartouches bearing the respective names, as well as elegant figures in traditional period dress in the panels depicting Landrecies, Chimay and Mariembourg. The artists included these figures to document the clothing and customs of the local inhabitants and military garrisons of the time.
The print is in excellent overall condition. Printed on sturdy period paper, it boasts refined and vivid hand-applied watercolour that beautifully highlights the outlines of individual buildings, waterways, bastions and costume details. The sheet shows the usual central publisher’s fold from its original placement in the volume, has clean, sound margins, and bears the customary printed descriptive text on the reverse, an essential feature confirming its authenticity and its place among the early historical editions of Braun and Hogenberg’s atlas.

Dimensions: 33 x 41 cm
Will be shipped by courier