Munster, Sebastian [Bird's Eye View of Landau]

Sebastian Munster. [Bird's Eye View of Landau]

Cologne: Arnoldo Byrckmanno, [1540]-1575. 8 7/8 x 13 1/4 (neatlines) plus full margins.  Woodcut.  Later hand color.  Good condition. Framed with UV filtering acrylic.  A/A.  

This woodcut bird's eye view of Landau was printed as early as 1540 when the block was made and appeared in editions of Sebastian Munster's Cosmography until the late 1580s.  Here is renaissance information in a medieval medium that shows the commune in present-day Bavaria, Germany, though the city was part of the centuries long Alsace-Lorraine changes of sovereignty between French and German rule.  The city is best known for the convertible carriage named for it.  The walled town is seen in profile; this quaint and lovely view has a surprisingly great amount of information about the land forms beyond the city.  Text at top and below the image was printed from moveable type.  A fine piece of history.