Italy - Lazio // Terracina; Georg Braun (1541–1622) e Frans Hogenberg (1535–1590) - VETVSTISS. AD MARE THYRRHENVM TERRACINAE OPPIDVM. (Veduta prospettica della città di Terracina e del - 1581-1600

Suggestive and rare sixteenth-century view of the town of Terracina captured from the inland towards the Tyrrhenian Sea. The fortified historic center lies on the slope of the hill to the left, dominated by the fortress and the summit of Monte Sant'Angelo, with the substructures of the Temple of Jupiter Anxur on the right, while below one can discern the layout of the Pisco Montano along the ancient Via Appia. The foreground scene is animated by a lively depiction of rural life showing peasants engaged in olive harvesting: a man in the tree shakes the branches, while women and boys gather the fruits on a cloth laid on the ground and transport them in baskets. In the lower left a Renaissance architectural cartouche contains the Latin caption (letters from A to G, including Terracina olim Anxur, Monasterio di S. Angelo, Via Appia), while to the right a ribbon wrapped around a trunk bears a classical motto.

State of preservation

• Engraving and coloring. Excellent impression, sharp and highly detailed, enhanced by rich watercolor coloring with warm tones in the hilly landscapes, in the striped sky, and in the clothing of the figures in the foreground.