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 sheet includes three lovely engraved views of Sibenik and Porec in Croatia, as well as Methoni, near the southern tip of Greece. The buildings and fortifications of the towns are well rendered, and ships fill the surrounding seas. The fortresses of S. Nicolas and St. Michael are labeled in the view of Sibenik, and the 6th century Euphrasius basilica is visible on the left in the view of Porec. Latin text on verso.

References: Fussel, p. 187; Van der Krogt (Vol. IV) #3985.

Condition: B+

Full contemporary color on a lightly toned sheet with a small coat of arms watermark, minor soiling, an abrasion in the lower image at top center, and two small worm holes in the top margin. There is a centerfold separation that just enters the map border at bottom and an adjacent tiny tear that have both been closed on verso with archival tape.