Bidspirit auction | Palatium imperatorum Pragae quod vulgo

Palatium imperatorum Pragae quod vulgo Ratzin appellatur / Praga regni Bohemiae metropolis. Colónia, c. 1596. - [PRAGUE]. Palatium imperatorum Pragae quod vulgo Ratzin appellatur / Praga regni Bohemiae metropolis. Georg BRAUN; Frans HOGENBERG (eds.). [Cologne, Georg Braun & Frans Hogenberg, c. 1596]. Engraving; 425 × 535 mm (sheet). Sheet with two views of Prague. In the upper half, long elevation of the imperial palace and castle of Hradčany (“Ratzin”), with the cathedral towers and other buildings of the palace complex aligned along the hill; houses and walls descend towards the foot. In the lower half, broad panoramic view of the city (“Praga regni Bohemiae metropolis”) taken from the north bank of the Vltava: in the foreground, hills and paths leading to Charles Bridge; in the background, the Old Town and riverside districts, densely built, with numerous church towers, and, at right, the Hradčany complex dominating the landscape. Two figures in Bohemian dress occupy the foreground at right. Verso printed in Latin under the heading PRAGA , with historical and topographical description of the Bohemian capital, paged “49”, forming part of volume V of the Civitates orbis terrarum . This plate, rarer than the first view of Prague published by Braun and Hogenberg, combines the ceremonial representation of the imperial palace with an overall view of the Bohemian metropolis, fixing in lasting form the late-Renaissance image of the city on the banks of the Vltava.