Gardens of Saint-Germain-en-Laye – Braun & Hogenberg Antique Map
This hand-colored engraving is from Civitates Orbis Terrarum, Volume VI (1617), by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg, and depicts:
“PORTRAIT DES CHASTEAVX ROYAUX DE SAINCT GERMAIN EN LAYE”
(Portrait of the Royal Palaces of Saint-Germain-en-Laye)
It presents a richly detailed bird’s-eye view of the royal palace complex and gardens, progressing from the upper château and orchards to the formal parterres, fountains, and lower terraces leading to the River Seine. The perspective is axonometric, as typical in the Civitates, yet imbued with more decorative French flair than the earlier, more rigidly cartographic volumes.
A detailed legend at the right records measurements and key features of the site, including the grand terrace, orangeries, and garden sections — early evidence of the French formal garden tradition that would soon be perfected at Versailles.
The sheet has been cut from the full two page spread in the book which showed Saint-Germain-en-Laye on the left side page and Fontainebleau on the right hand side.
These later plates in the Civitates series show a clear shift in focus: from fortified urban topography to celebrations of courtly architecture and garden design, reflecting the evolving tastes of the early 17th century.
Dimensions; 27 x 41 cm.
Condition: Browning and light spotting of sheet as shown. Cut down the center fold (one half of page spread only). Outer margins of sheet rough with some small tears.
Date of Publication: Between 1572 and 1617
Engraver: Frans Hogenberg
Braun & Hogenberg’s Civitates Orbis Terrarum (“Cities of the World”) is a monumental six-volume atlas of urban topography compiled between 1572 and 1617. Conceived as a companion to Ortelius’s Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, it was the first comprehensive printed collection of city views and maps ever produced. The work provides a rich visual record of over 500 cities from across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas during the late Renaissance, featuring detailed bird’s-eye views, cartouches, and depictions of local inhabitants, architecture, and dress. It reflects not only geographical interest but also the growing civic pride and commercial importance of cities in the early modern period.
Georg Braun (1541–1622), a cleric and scholar from Cologne, served as the principal editor and driving force behind the Civitates. He compiled texts for the city descriptions and coordinated contributions from a wide network of cartographers and artists. His aim was both didactic and celebratory: to showcase the beauty and significance of cities around the known world.
Frans Hogenberg (c. 1535–1590), a Flemish engraver and mapmaker, was responsible for many of the atlas’s intricate engravings. He had previously collaborated with Abraham Ortelius and brought both technical skill and artistic flair to the project. Hogenberg’s meticulous visual style was essential in defining the distinctive look of the Civitates plates.
Together, Braun and Hogenberg created a work that remains an invaluable source for historians, urban scholars, and collectors today.
The upper part of this text descibes this image:
Saint-Germain (Fanum S. Germani)
Commonly called en Laye, a royal fortress of France.
If anything anywhere in France, or indeed in all of Europe, is pleasing to behold, this residence excels in both beauty and charm. The former royal residence, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, lies not far from the Seine River, clothed in green and shaded with luxuriant groves and trees.
Its buildings are works to be admired: the grounds are vast, the palaces magnificent and fit for kings; the ornamental gardens are marvelously arranged; the greenhouses, groves, orchards, and landscaped plots are delightful and extremely pleasing. What shall we say of the fountains, dining halls with marble tables, of statues carved with the greatest skill, and of the various ingenious waterworks?
Among them are fountains that cast clear and pure water from all sides, and vessels that receive all manner of wine and water. No less impressive are the nymphaea, musical fountains in which statues play flutes and other instruments, with pipes that produce real melodies, imitating human voices by hydraulic art so closely as to astonish.
The rest of the site scarcely permits adequate description by any artist’s brush, so noble and dignified is it.
The first foundations of this palace were laid by Charles V, King of France. Under Charles VI, it came into the possession of the English, like much of France, until it was redeemed with a large sum of money by Charles VII, through his commander in Paris.
Later, the kings of France developed it even further, enriching it with both physical beauty and the comforts of life. It is so richly adorned and supplied with every abundance that the current king of France, Louis XIII, spent much of his childhood there.
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The lower part descibes the other part of the spread, Fontainbleu, an image which is not included here.
Fontainebleau (Fons Bellaqueus)
This castle, commonly called Fontaine Belleau, seems to derive its name from a most clear and lovely spring nearby. But in addition to this spring, there is in all the place a remarkable abundance of streams and waters. The entire layout of the castle is magnificent, and the palace itself is immense — not just in size, but in its suitability to receive kings and high lords with ease and honor.
The place was especially loved by King Louis the Saint, who called it his retreat or place of withdrawal. When the castle was in danger of ruin, Francis I, King of France, summoned the most excellent architects from across Europe, and not only restored the castle, but rebuilt it in such a way that it surpassed all others in France, and is so unique that hardly anything comparable can be found even in ancient times.
That same king, as a generous patron of letters and learning, also established an outstanding library here. The charm of the location is such that it is difficult to describe. The gardens, filled with rare fruits, flowers, and herbs of every kind, are beautifully cultivated, and the walkways are among the finest to be found. The aviary, full of birds, is so large and so elegant that it captivates all who visit it.
Throughout the grounds, ancient Roman inscriptions and monuments can be seen, preserved here and there. The nearby forests are rich in game, offering abundant opportunities for hunting. Streams, ponds, and rivers abound for fishing. Wild birds also thrive here in great variety. The air is open and healthful, and no place in all of France is better suited for the recreation of princes and noblemen, especially during the summer months.
The estate often serves as a court residence, and is surrounded by many cities and towns where royal officials and court members are quartered.
King Henry IV, the former king, especially loved this place above all others, and here he received many ambassadors and representatives of kings and princes. It was also here, at that time, that he arranged for his son and daughters to be baptized, and that they should be entered into the Church of Christ.