The Inn Valley from the series Civitates Orbis Terrarum, vol. V, plate 59

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of's Drawings and Prints department, where *The Inn Valley* (from *Civitates Orbisarum*, vol. V, plate 59, 1590) offers a captivating glimpse into 16th-century European topography. This etching, measuring nearly 15 by 20 inches, was a collaborative masterpiece by Georg Braun, Frans Hogenberg, J Hoefnagel, and Simon Novellanus., a Cologne canon, spearheaded the monumental *Civitates Or Terrarum*—the first comprehensive world atlas of cities, published between 1572 and 1617 with over 500 detailed views—while Hogenberg excelled in bird's-eye urban panoramas, Hoefnagel added naturalistic precision, and Novellanus contributed refined engravings. Depicting the dramatic Inn Valley in the Alps, this print captures rugged mountains, winding rivers, and scattered settlements, blending landscape grandeur with human habitation. As part of a series that revolutionized cartography, it reflects the Renaissance fascination with exploration and accurate representation, drawing from traveler sketches and early surveys. Etching's fine lines allowed unprecedented detail in mass-produced prints, making such vistas accessible beyond elites. Donated through The Elisha Whittelsey Collection in 1961, this work not only documents a pristine Tyrolean vista but also embodies the era's blend of art, science, and wanderlust—inviting you to trace the paths of 16th-century adventurers.

About the Artist

Joris Hoefnagel|Simon Novellanus|Frans Hogenberg|Georg Braun · 1542–1600

Joris Hoefnagel, also known as Georg Hoefnagel, was born in 1542 in Antwerp to Jacob Hoefnagel, a prosperous diamond and luxury goods dealer, and Elisabeth Vezelaer, daughter of the Antwerp mint master. Intended for the family trade, he received a humanistic education, mastering languages, poetry, and music, but pursued art as a self-taught draftsman and miniaturist, receiving his first lessons fr...