Cologne, ca 1572. Engraved map with hand-coloring; approximately 21 x 15 1/2 inches (533 x 394 mm). Decorative cartouche. Minor marginal staining at upper portion, some toning, minor archival tape repairs to verso.

The present map is derived from one executed by Sebastian Munster in 1569, and depicts the Bastille, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Abbey of St. Victor, and other notable landmarks. It first appeared as part of Braun and Hogenberg's Civitates Orbis Terrarum, a six-volume set published between 1572 and 1617 which depicted 531 towns and cities on 363 plates. In an era in which travel could be time-consuming and hazardous, these books were intended to provide the reader with the luxury of exploring the world without having to leave their home. In the preface to the third volume Braun wrote, "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?"