"Breslaw", Jansson, Jan

This handsome bird's-eye plan of Breslaw (Wroclaw) is based on the view by Braun and Hogenberg in Volume IV of Civitates Orbis Terrarum. It depicts the city viewed from the southwest with the forking Oder River running through it. Two large market squares dominate the city center, while Cathedral Island is shown at far right. There is excellent details of buildings and fortifications, with keys at bottom left and bottom right identifying 38 sites of interest. The coat of arms of Wroclaw appears at top left, with the severed head of John the Baptist at its center. A compass rose at bottom right orients the north to the south.

This view was originally created by Braun & Hogenberg and published in their Civitates Orbis Terrarum beginning in 1588. Jansson acquired the plates in 1653 and republished many of them in a series of atlases of town maps and plans, some with alterations. In this view, Jansson changed the title, removed an additional coat of arms, shifted the compass rose, and included fewer place names in the keys.

References: cf. Fussel, pp. 322-25.

Condition: B

A sharp impression in contemporary color with a couple cracks due to the oxidation of the green pigment which have been closed on verso with archival tape. There is a light spot at bottom right, and a centerfold separation and associated tear at bottom have been repaired with archival materials on verso.