Calechut Celeberrimum Indiae Emporium [on sheet with] Ormus [and] Canonor [and] S. Georgii Oppidum Mina
1572
Original hand-coloured copper engraving on paper
14 x 19.25 in (35.7 x 49 cm)
A striking set of four city views from Braun & Hogenberg's Civitates Orbis Terrarum, the most renowned and important book of town plans published in the 16th century in Frankfurt, depicting a journey from Africa to the trading districts of the East.
Four panoramic views on one sheet: the upper two-thirds of this double page sheet features a superb panoramic image of Calicut, famous Indian centre of trade which is located on India's west coast in Kerala. An elephant with a mahout watches while boats are built on the sand, and Asian and European warships near offshore are depicted in detail. The lowest third is separated into three views: Ormuz near the entrance to the Persian Gulf, Canonor in India, and El Mina, a Portuguese fortress in West Africa.
George Braun, Canon of Cologne Cathedral, collected and wrote the Civitates Orbis Terrarum the most famous and influential book of town plans published in the 16th Century. Braun compiled massive quantities of material and draught blueprints to create over 500 city views/maps, which were published in six sections between 1572 and 1617. The majority of these engravings were created by Simon Novellanus and Frans Hogenberg, many of which were based on drawings by Joris Hoefnagel.
KOZHIKODE (CALICUT)
"Calicut is the noblest of all the Indian cities. It lies on the shores of the sea, is bigger than Lisbon and is impregnable even without ramparts . The king of this city is venerated as a god; the subjects obey him with the greatest servility. When he comes out of his palace, he is carried on a litter studded with all sorts of precious stones, accompanied by choirboys, singers, trumpeters and the like. His retinue and other nobles walk behind him; they carry drawn swords and spears in their hands; his archers and arms bearers go in front." - COMMENTARY BY BRAUN
The city is seen from the sea, much as it would have seemed to the Portuguese explorers arriving from the west. When Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad, some 25 kilometres from Calicut (now Kozhikode), in 1498, it constituted a watershed point in European history: the maritime route to India had been discovered. Calicut emerges inside a jungle of palm palms, set against a backdrop of mountains, and with several ships in the front, exuding an alien aura. The royal procession may be seen on the seashore in front of the city, as well as a working elephant with its driver to the right. Even before Vasco da Gama arrived, Kozhikode had established itself as an important centre of power and trade.
After capturing the city in 1538, the Portuguese erected a fort and monopolized the spice trade beginning in 1540. Kozhikode, located on the Malabar Coast in the Indian state of Kerala, has a population of 5,94,000 people presently.
HORMUZ (ORMUS)
"Ormus, a magnificent city in Persia, lies on an island and is second to no other city on account of the beautiful and precious pearls that are found there. Fresh water and all the necessities of life are very expensive there, for almost everything that people need has to be brought in from outside. Three days' journey from Ormus, pearl oysters are found that contain larger and more beautiful pearls than elsewhere." - COMMENTARY BY BRAUN
The plate depicts Hormuz as an island in a stereotyped image that was most likely created by the draughtsman's imagination. The city is enclosed by a strong wall and is made up of towering, foreign-looking dwellings with flat roofs that are erected close together. Alfonso de Albuquerque took Hormuz in 1507, and it remained solidly in Portuguese control from 1515 to 1622. The rocky island maintains an important strategic site and a key centre of trade for the Arab world due to its location on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important straits in the world, at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, 16 kilometres off the coast of Iran.
KANNUR
"In the Indian town of Cannanore the Portuguese king has an impressive fortified palace. The ruler of the town and his subjects worship idols; they pray to the sun, moon and cows. The town has a harbour where horses are imported from Persia, for which a very high toll has to be paid, however: 20,000 crowns for one horse. Many spices grow in the surrounding area, but first and foremost ginger." - COMMENTARY BY BRAUN
The view from the west reveals Kannur, historically Anglicized as Cannanore. Palm trees and the basic style of the dwellings, like in many engravings of Indian cities, reflect the country's foreignness. Kannur became a major base and commercial port for the Portuguese in 1502, who used it to carry spices to Europe. The stronghold described in the text, Fort St Angelo, was erected in 1504 by Francisco de Almeida, viceroy of India, and is approximately 3 kilometres from town.
ELMINA
CAPTION: The town of St George, known as Mina, was founded in Guinea in 1482 on the instructions of King John II of Portugal; Moorish merchants send gold, in exchange for which Christians receive red and yellow linen and other sought-after products. The view of Mina (Elmina in modern-day Ghana) shows a tiny, gated settlement (pagus) next to the enormous fortress of So Jorge da Mina, which was erected in 1482 to guard Africa's most significant gold trade base on the Gold Coast. The fort was the first European bastion on Black African land, and it served as the Portuguese headquarters in Africa until 1637, when it was seized by the Dutch. Because of its gold deposits, the Portuguese named the African settlement adjoining the fort El Mina ("The Mine") and awarded it a Portuguese municipal charter in 1486. The settlements around El Mina merged to become Elmina or Edina state between the end of the 16th century and Ghana's independence. (Taschen)
Braun G. & Hogenberg F. and the Civitates Orbis Terrarum
The Civitates Orbis Terrarum, often known as "Braun & Hogenberg," is a six-volume town atlas and the most comprehensive collection of town views and plans ever produced, with 363 engravings, some of which are brilliantly coloured. It was one of the most popular works in the latter part of the sixteenth century. Georg Braun composed the text on the verso that accompanied the plans and views. A great number of the plates were engraved after the original works of professional artist Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600). The first book in Latin was published in 1572, and the sixth in 1617. The tables for volumes I through IV were prepared by Frans Hogenberg, and those for volumes V and VI were created by Simon van den Neuwel. Cartographers Daniel Freese and Heinrich Rantzau also contributed. Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf's works were also utilised. German and French translations were also available.
Following the first publishing of Volume 1 of the Civitates in 1572, there were seven more editions in 1575, 1577, 1582, 1588, 1593, 1599, and 1612. Volume 2 was initially published in 1575, with further editions in 1597 and 1612. The following volumes were published in 1581, 1588, 1593, 1599, and 1606. The first book was translated into German in 1574, and the French version followed in 1575.
Several Cologne printers were engaged, including Theodor Graminaeus, Heinrich von Aich, Gottfried von Kempen, Johannis Sinniger, Bertram Buchholtz, and Peter von Brachel.
Georg Braun (1541-1622)
Georg Braun was born in 1541 in Cologne. After finishing his studies in Cologne, he became a novice in the Jesuit Order. He received his bachelor's degree in 1561 and his Magister Artium in 1562. Despite leaving the Jesuit Order, he studied theology and earned a licentiate in theology.
Frans Hogenberg (1535-1590)
Frans Hogenberg was a painter, engraver, and mapmaker of Flemish and German origin. He was the son of Nicolaas Hogenberg and was born in Mechelen.
Frans Hogenberg was working on Abraham Ortelius' Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, which was published in 1570, before the end of the 1560s; he is listed as an engraver of various maps. The Duke of Alva barred him from Antwerp in 1568, and he fled to London, where he resided for a few years before fleeing to Cologne. He began work on his two most major works right away, the Civitates, which was published in 1572, and the Geschichtsblätter, which appeared in numerous series from 1569 until around 1587.
Hogenberg's socioeconomic situation improved with each passing year, thanks to large-scale projects like the Geschichtsblätter and the Civitates. In 1590, he died as a wealthy man in Cologne.
This work will be shipped unframed.
NON-EXPORTABLE