Bidspirit auction | Visbia Gothorum (Visby, Gotlândia). Colónia,

Visbia Gothorum (Visby, Gotlândia). Colónia, c. 1598. - [VISBY (GOTLAND, SWEDEN)]. Visbia Gothorum. Georg BRAUN; Frans HOGENBERG (eds.). [Cologne, Georg Braun & Frans Hogenberg, c. 1598]. Engraving; 425 × 535 mm (sheet). View of the Hanseatic town of Visby, on the coast of the island of Gotland. The urban enclosure is entirely girded by walls with numerous towers and gates, linked by bridges to the harbour and suburbs. Inside, the dense street pattern is marked by large churches with tall spires and by the cathedral; around the town stretch hills, farms and country roads. In the foreground, the harbour and sea are alive with sailing ships and boats, underlining the city’s mercantile vocation. At the top appear the title band VISBIA GOTHORVM, a compass rose and two heraldic medallions; along the lower edge, an extensive Latin legend and laudatory note identify the principal buildings. Text printed on the verso in Latin under the heading VISBIA GOTHORVM, with historical and economic notes; pagination “39”, from volume V of the Civitates orbis terrarum.