Vienna Austria prospect birds-eye city view 1548 Munster 1598 printed Europe urban


Anno Domini 1548. Viena Austriae hunc habuit situm

(Europe, Austria, Holy Roman Empire, Vienna, City View)

Issued 1598, Basel by S. Munster. 

Scarce and decorative 16th century panoramic city view. Originally wood engraved in 1548, making this large printed European urban profile over 450 years old. 

Short video captures condition much better than words. Please watch prior to purchase to ensure a clear understanding of the print.

Light uniform paper age toning, original fold lines, right edge toned and slightly abraded into the printed area with some small paper loss near neat line, backed long ago with old paper, couple old repairs, extraneous fold lines, paper still sturdy and flexible, image mostly clean, great restoration candidate.

Despite physical wear, the view displays a noble appearance and age patina: a random survivor of a large 16th century printed pictorial sheet when the vast majority from this era have simply not survived.

As noted by Barry Ruderman: Wolfgang Lazius, physician, historian and cartographer, supplied this view of his home city as viewed from the north. The date" 1548" and initials "HRMD" appearing at the lower center and "HH" to the right identify the woodcutters as Hans Rudolph Manuel Deutsch and Heinrich Holzmuller. It seems likely that one probably executed the topography, the other the lettering and scrollwork, prominently displayed in the banner extending the full length of the image.

An uncommon and dynamic early panoramic city view which, while less than perfect, still displays well and would look great if properly framed. 

Sheet measures c. 13" H x 30" W.

Printed area measures c. 8 7/8" H x 29" W.

Burmeister, Munster Bibliographie, 83.

Tooley's Dictionary of Mapmakers, v. 3.

[VR20190]