Lodovico Guicciardini | Descrittione di tutti i paesi bassi, altriment detti Germania inferiore, 1567

Lodovico Guicciardini

Descrittione di tutti i paesi bassi, altriment detti Germania inferiore. Antwerp: Guglielmus Silvius, 1567

FIRST EDITION, folio (332 x 230mm.), title with woodcut architectural border with Spanish royal arms and portrait of Phillip II of Spain, double-page engraved map by C.D. Hooghe, double-page engraved view of Antwerp Town Hall, 15 double-page woodcut maps and views, 2 unrelated allegorical engravings loosely inserted, nineteenth-century brown morocco retaining contemporary gilt calf covers, some spotting and occasional dampstaining at margins, extremities slightly rubbed

The Descrittione is one of the most important books published on the Low Countries in the sixteenth-century. The work is divided into sections on particular regions, with the central focus being the topography of the various regions and major cities, which are illustrated with numerous woodcut plans and views. Within each region Guicciardini's coverage of contemporary life is extensive, inclusive of the fine arts, trade and commercial concerns.

LITERATURE:

Adams G-1540; Belgica Typographia 1360; Brunet II, 1806