Der Statt Zürich.
€175
- Cartographer
- Sebastian Münster
- Date
- 1588
- Publication
- Cosmographia Universalis · Basel, Sebastian Petri (Henricpetri)
- Subject
- Zürich, Switzerland
- Condition
- Photographs show paper discolouration, foxing, folds and edge wear.
- Availability
- In stock. Subject to availability.
About this piece
A hand-coloured double-page woodcut of Zürich, issued in the 1588 German edition of Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia by Sebastian Petri in Basel. The design is dated 1555 within the image. The broad sweep of water is the starting point for reading the view, with rows of red-roofed buildings along the banks and bridges linking the two parts of the city.
The artist picks out the larger churches and towers among the dense roofs, then carries the eye out toward fields and rising ground. Two coats of arms occupy the upper corners, and a blue-bordered key at lower right identifies places within the view. German text continues below the image and on the reverse, where a large decorative heading names Zürich.
The hand colouring sets the blue of the water against the warm roofs and the softer tones of the surrounding land. The paper shows discolouration, scattered spotting, a middle fold and some edge wear.