Fine antique copper engraved sheet with three bird's-eye views by Braun and Hogenberg: Montpellier, Tours and Poitiers from the first volume of Braun & Hogenberg's "Civitas Orbis Terrarum. " Latin text to verso.

Montpellier: With key to locations. In his brief description of the city, Braun focuses primarily upon the university founded by Pope Nicholas IV in 1289. He makes no mention, on the other hand, of the church of Notre-Dame-des-Tables, which is recognizable by its tall spire. The church has been a stopping point since the Middle Ages for pilgrims on their way to Santiago di Compostella.

Tours: With key to locations. The abbey of Saint-Martin, which was destroyed in 1562, is here still intact. Unmistakeable on the right is the late Gothic cathedral of Saint-Gatien (13th-16th cent.), which was built after the previous Romanesque church burned down and which houses the relics of the first bishop of Tours, Gatianus. Standing on the left, outside the first city wall, is the abbey of Saint-Julien from the 12th/13th centuries.

Poitiers: Cartouche: Pictavis or Pictavia, in the local vernacular Poitiers, capital of the Pictavi or Pictones, noteworthy for its university, for the ruins of a large theatre, for ancient monuments, for magnificent ecclesiastical and secular buildings.

The captions in this engraving are given in particular detail. It is thus possible to recognize e.g. the famous Romanesque church of Notre-Dame-la-Grande, and the basilica of Saint-Hilaire-le-Grand. The imposing building rising above the rest in the center of the picture is the Gothic cathedral of Saint-Pierre.

The 'Civitates Orbis Terrarum', or the "Braun & Hogenberg", is a six-volume town atlas and the greatest book of town views and plans ever published: 363 engravings, sometimes beautifully colored. It was one of the best-selling works in the last quarter of the 16th century. Georg Braun wrote the text accompanying the plans and views on the verso.

A large number of the plates were engraved after the original drawings of Joris Hoefnagel (1542-1600), who was a professional artist. The first volume was published in Latin in 1572, the sixth volume in 1617.

Frans Hogenberg created the tables for volumes I through IV, and Simon van den Neuwel created those for volumes V and VI. Other contributors were cartographer Daniel Freese, and Heinrich Rantzau.

Works by Jacob van Deventer, Sebastian Münster, and Johannes Stumpf were also used. Translations appeared in German and French.

Reference: Van der Krogt 4, 2856 (Plate B); Taschen, Braun and Hogenberg, p.60.