Belgium - Mons (Bergen); Georg Braun (1541–1622) - MONS

Celebrated and fascinating historic panoramic view of the Belgian city of Mons, entitled "MONS. MONTES, HANNONIAE METROPOLIS." This splendid and sharp copper engraving was originally conceived and published by the theologian Georg Braun (1541–1622) and the renowned engraver Frans Hogenberg (1535–1590) within the monumental editorial project Civitates Orbis Terrarum, an absolute cornerstone of Renaissance urban iconography. The print shows a suggestive southern perspective view of the fortified city of Mons, capital of the County of Hainaut. Of extraordinary collectible interest is the fact that this plate shows the city in its enigmatic and initial "first editorial state," i.e., the very first cartographic version where the top of the hill does not yet include the castle keep and the tower of the Sainte-Waudru Collegiate Church. The foreground is dominated by a bucolic rural scene with pastures, rivers and figures of travelers in traditional costumes of the era. In the lower left corner stands an austere and elegant geometric stone cartouche bearing the Latin identifying inscription of the metropolis. Printed on a full-margin sheet, this panorama constitutes a work of art of great historical and decorative value, ideal for lovers of urban iconography and great masterpieces of European cartography. Dimensions 19 x 53 cm

Estimation:€3

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