1572 (undated)
1 : 10000
Description
A handsome example of the Braun and Hogenberg's 1572 map and view of Paris, France. With the Seine flowing at center around the Île de la Cité, this view looks on Paris from the northwest, with the top oriented to the southeast. The city is presented from an equidistant bird's-eye perspective wherein all structures are rendered in view form, but from a uniform height and angle relative to all individual points. Fertile fields surround the city, and the river bustles with boats, suggesting richness and prosperity. In the bottom left corner, a man greets two women, all wearing clothing corresponding to the Spanish-influenced fashion norms of 1560 - 1570. The Bastille, a prison infamous even prior to the French Revolution, appears here at top center, surrounded by a moat. The 1550 bastion, appearing to the left of the main structure of the Bastille is also evident. The map's title 'Lutetia,' is the Latin name for Paris which, by the 16th century, had largely been phased out but still appeared in academic references.