• Title : Londen oder Lunden die Hauptstatt in Engellandt / am fluß Thamesis gelegen/ auff das aller fleißsigste nach jetziger gelegenheit abcontrafehtet
• Ref #:  51012
• Size: 15 1/4in x 12 1/2in (385mm x 315mm)
• Date : 1598
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This scarce original 1st edition antique woodcut birds eye view, is the third earliest acquirable depiction of London. Prepared in 1598, it was the only depiction of London to appear in Sebastian Munsters publication of Cosmographia, appearing in only the three last Sebastian Petri editions. 

Modeled on Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg's 1572 plan, the city here is laid out as a plan, but the buildings and surrounding landscape are presented in elevation - thus giving the impression of a bird's-eye view, even to the extent of detailing gardens and showing bustling river traffic. Also, as with the Braun and Hogenberg, the view has included four figures in the foreground: a nobleman and woman, with their attendant maid and footman (he, armed with a sword), each dressed in the styles of the period appropriate to their positions.

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - 
Age of map color: -  
Colors used: -  
General color appearance: -  
Paper size: - 15 1/4in x 12 1/2in (385mm x 315mm)
Plate size: - 15 1/4in x 12 1/2in (385mm x 315mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Uniform age toning
Plate area: - Uniform age toning
Verso: - Uniform age toning

Background:
Sebastian Munster's woodblock map of London is one of the earliest maps of the city available to collectors. It shows London during the lifetimes of Queen Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare. This map is a derivative of the Braun & Hogenberg's map of 1572. Munster has even arranged the costumed figures in the foreground into the same poses. Instead of the Latin descriptions found in the lower corners of the map on the Braun & Hogenberg map, Munster has instead included two panels listing the seven gates in the City wall, from west to east.
The old St Paul's Cathedral with its original pointed spire sits at the centre of the map. The spire was destroyed in a fire in 1561, but frequently appeared on later depictions of the city. The cathedral itself was burnt to the ground during the Great Fire of 1666, after which Christopher Wren designed and built the modern cathedral. To the southeast of St Paul's is the old London Bridge, the only bridge crossing over the River Thames until the 18th century.
South of the river are two circular arenas for bull and bear baiting. This was a vicious, but popular, form of entertainment in Tudor London. Shakespeare's Globe Theatre would be built in 1599 on a parcel of land to the west of these arenas.
Located outside of the City of London's jurisdiction, Southwark was a riotous pleasure ground where Londoners went to escape the strict rules north of the river.
On the far left of the map is Westminster, a separate royal enclave surrounding St James's Palace and Whitehall linked to the city by the Strand and by the river. A royal barge is shown on the river to the west of London Bridge, depicting the monarch's typical method of traveling to avoid the crowded streets of the city. The royal coat of arms is appropriately placed in the upper-left corner above Westminster, while the upper-right corner contains the coat of arms of the City of London. (Ref: Shirley; Tooley; M&B)