Braun & Hogenberg's Civitates Orbis Terrarum or "Cities of the World" was published between 1572 and 1617. Within the six volumes, 531 towns and cities were depicted on 363 plates, providing the reader with the pleasures of travel without the attendant discomforts. Braun wrote in the preface to the third book, "What could be more pleasant than, in one's own home far from all danger, to gaze in these books at the universal form of the earth . . . adorned with the splendor of cities and fortresses and, by looking at pictures and reading the texts accompanying them, to acquire knowledge which could scarcely be had but by long and difficult journeys?" Braun and Hogenberg incorporated an astonishing wealth of information into each scene beyond the city layout and important buildings. The plates provide an impression of the economy and prominent occupations, and illustrate local costumes, manners and customs.

This richly detailed and uncommon bird's-eye view depicts the city of Odense, one of the oldest settlements in Denmark and now the major city on the island of Funen. At the time of the view's publication (circa 1598), the city had a population of 6,000. St. Canute's Cathedral, a fine work of Brick Gothic architecture and the burial place of Danish kings Canute the Saint, Hans, and Christian II, is prominently shown at left. In the foreground, there are remnants of a pre-Viking settlement, labeled Locus Nundeberrig Dictus. The Odense River snakes through, emptying into a fjord filled with ships at top right. Latin text on verso.

References: Fussel, pp. 384-85; Goss (Cities) pp. 86-87.

Condition: B+

A dark impression with light offsetting that is especially visible along the centerfold and a very small area of paper weakness adjacent to the centerfold, caused by irregularities in papermaking. Old tape residue along the top edge of the sheet on verso.