"Colonia Agrippina. Colln", Wit, Frederick de

This intricately engraved bird's-eye view of the city of Cologne is copied from Jansson's plate. Cologne was an imperial city of the Roman Empire and continued to grow through the centuries due to its close trading links with England. A key at left identifies 33 churches and religious institutions, including der Dom or the Cologne Cathedral, the largest Gothic church in Germany with towers that reach 157 meters in height. At right, another locates 16 other locations of interest, including markets and entrances. There is excellent detail of the city's fortifications and architecture. Deutz appears across the Rhine. Several vessels sail through the river. Two elaborate coats of arms, one blank, flank the view at top left and top right. A compass rose orients the north to the right. This engraving appeared in De Wit's townbook Theatrum Praecipuarum Totius Europae Urbium (ca. 1694) and Pieter van der Aa's La Galerie Agreable du Monde (1729).

References: Phillips (Atlases) #3485 Vol. 39 #20.

Condition: B+

Issued folding with light offsetting and a couple of tiny spots.