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Praghe

Print
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a topographical panoramic view of the city of Prague towards the end of the 17th century. It was made by the famous cartographer Frederick de Wit as a part of his series of townscapes first published in the 1690s. The city itself recedes with perspective into the background whilst in the foreground a detail of a rural poor family is contrasted with a wealthy group of individuals headed toward the town on horseback. This vignette is intended to give a feel of the character of the city more than any plan of streets could do alone. The coats of arms of the city of Prague and the Kingdom of Bohemia are atop the scene and the translation of the blurb at the bottom into 4 different languages hints at the multi-national audience de Wit was targeting. These prints were for armchair travelers and traders and not supposed to be used to guide oneself around a town.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitlePraghe
Materials and techniques
Brief description
A panoramic view of Prague
Physical description
A panoramic vista with the city of Prague recceding in the background. it is drawn using perspecitve but without a definite scale. There is no key or any labels to distinguish the buildings but it is certianly a topographical view. In the foreground are a poor rural family to the left and a more prosperous family to the right heading towards the town on horseback. Below the image is a description and history of the town in German, French, Dutch and English.
Dimensions
  • Height: 53.6cm
  • Width: 65.4cm
Marks and inscriptions
Prage is the head city of the Kingdom of Bohemia, the ancient seate of the Bisshops and Dukes, and finally of the Kings of Bohemia famous for the Birth of Charles the 4 Roman Emperor about the yeare of our lord 639 come into these lands one Czechus Illyricus, a person of noble extraction witr a great traine, departed from his native country, for to seeke a newe place of aboad, in these parts were the remnants of the Bojers who accepted him for their Duke.
Place depicted
Summary
This is a topographical panoramic view of the city of Prague towards the end of the 17th century. It was made by the famous cartographer Frederick de Wit as a part of his series of townscapes first published in the 1690s. The city itself recedes with perspective into the background whilst in the foreground a detail of a rural poor family is contrasted with a wealthy group of individuals headed toward the town on horseback. This vignette is intended to give a feel of the character of the city more than any plan of streets could do alone. The coats of arms of the city of Prague and the Kingdom of Bohemia are atop the scene and the translation of the blurb at the bottom into 4 different languages hints at the multi-national audience de Wit was targeting. These prints were for armchair travelers and traders and not supposed to be used to guide oneself around a town.
Collection
Accession number
E.1518-1900

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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