 
Mouse over picture for zoom. (This may take a few seconds.)Click here to view the larger image in a new window.
Fine Early View of Constantinople
Istanbul.
MUNSTER, S. [Basle, c. 1550]
Constantinopolitanae urbis effigies, quam hodie sub Turcae in habitatione habet... .
10 x 15 inches
Fine hand-color; fine condition.
A finely realized, beautifully colored view of Constantinople. Of all the city views in Munster’s output, this is certainly one of the most sophisticated. Ships in particular are rendered in fine detail, and the cityscape itself, while densely detailed, is still precise. The initials D. K. appear at lower right, likely referring to the woodcutter, David Kendall. The city’s iconic structures--the Hagia Sophia, the palace of Constantine, the Gynoecium---are depicted in considerable detail. On the Bosporus can be seen ships of many nations traveling from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.
|
