Nordovicum, Angliae Civitas
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Fine plan of Norwich after William Cuningham's plan, the earliest plan of any British city. Georg Braun (1541-1622) and Frans Hogenberg (1535-1590) were co-publishers of the monumental Civitates Orbis Terrarum, "the earliest systematic city atlas" (Koeman), published from 1572 onwards. This enormous work, which was expanded to incorporate over 500 plans and views, must be viewed as one of the most ambitious book producing ventures of all time. Braun compiled the accompanying text, printed on the reverse, while the plans were engraved by Hogenberg, who had also prepared the maps for Ortelius' "Theatrum". Hogenberg used generally up-to-date and accurate maps, surveys and reports to compile this collection of plans and bird's-eye views of all the major towns of Europe, and a smaller number of towns outside Europe. One of the major contributors was Georg (or Joris) Hoefnagel who supplied some 63 manuscript drawings, the vast majority from personal observation. It is to Hogenberg's credit that, despite the many different sources from which this vast collection of plans was assembled, he managed to create a sense of uniformity among the completed engravings. While this has much to do with his own style, he also relied on a standard formula, inserting appropriate coats of arms and, in the foreground, attractive drawings of inhabitants of the region, in local costume.
region: Norfolk |
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