1560 Der Statt Rom In Aller Weldt Bekant Contrafhetung....
By: Sebastian Münster
Date: 1560 (circa) Basel
Dimensions: 11.5 x 14 inches (29 x 36cm)
This woodcut from Münster’s famous Cosmographia provides a splendid bird’s eye view of the Eternal City and its seven hills. The hills in the group include the Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Aventine Esquiline, the Caelian Hill.
The Palatine, which rises forty meters above the Roman Forum, is considered the birthplace of Rome. Legend has it that the cave in which the she-wolf Luperca was said to have raised the twins Romulus and Remus was located on or near the Palatine. The area has been inhabited for thousands of years, and on the hill and its environs are to be found some of the city’s best known monuments.
Münster’s view depicts the city still well fortified with great walls and watch towers still standing despite the depredations following the collapse of Imperial Rome in the West. Many of the city’s best known landmarks are easily identifiable, such as the Pantheon, and St. Peter’s in the Vatican which includes the Belvidere Palace.
Other monuments include an overgrown and barely visible Coliseum, parts of aqueducts, and Castel Sant'Angelo with its tomb of Hadrian, and its monumental bridge crossing the Tiber. The baths of both emperors Caligula and Caracalla are denoted. Close inspection of the map reveals many more monuments which are yet extant. The map offers one of the earliest views of the Eternal City.
Condition: This map is in B condition. Foxing in places, primarily in margins. Slightly darker toning along the centerfold.
Inventory #12843
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