A True and Exact Prospect of the Famous Citty of London . in its Flourishing Condition before the Fire/ Another Prospect of the Sayd Citty Taken from the Same Place as it Appeareth now after the Sad Calamitie and Destruction by Fire .

HOLLAR, Wenceslaus â " OVERTON, John

Published by Sould by John Overton at the White Horse at the corner of the little old Baly neere the fountaine tavern without Newgate, London, 1666

About this Item

PANORAMAS OF LONDON BEFORE AND AFTER THE FIRE. 225 x 675 mm., two sheets joined, with one small tear at right side fold, laid onto paper, otherwise in good condition. A fascinating depiction of the city of London in two panoramas, one before and one after the Great Fire of London in 1666. That showing after clearly records the level of devastation caused. The fire lasted 4 days and consumed 436 acres, 13,200 houses and 87 churches including St. Paul's Cathedral. Contemporary accounts relate that only church spires and chimney stacks seem to have survived. John Evelyn (1620-1706) wrote in his diary on the 3 September, describing London the day after it started as:'a resemblance of Sodome, or the last day. It call'd to mind that of 4 Heb: non enim hic habemus stabilem Civitatem; the ruines resembling the picture of Troy. London was, but is no more' On 7 September 1666, the day after the fire ended, he walked through the city and reported his hair almost singed:'I went this morning on foote from White hall as far as London bridge ⠦ with extraordinary difficulty, clambring over mountaines of yet smoking rubbish, & frequently mistaking where I was, the ground under my feete so hott, as made me not onely Sweate, but even burnt the soles of my shoes'.The print is engraved by the highly reputed Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-77). He is one of the first to record in such detail and quantity the English way of life in the seventeenth century. The breadth and depth of his work is remarkable. He was born in Prague on 13 July 1607 as Václav Hollar, which he would later anglicise. His childhood was a life of some privilege which enabled him access to some of the finest art works of the era, including that of the principal court engraver Aegidius Sadeler with whom it is believed Hollar learnt to engrave. Hollar's early work was in Prague but the turmoil at home encouraged him to go to Stuttgart, Germany in 1627. Two years later he appears to have moved further west to Strasbourg. His natural talent flourished alongside the likes of Jan van de Velde and shortly after Matthaus Merian in Frankfurt. He worked all along the river Rhine including the Dutch towns.It was in 1636 that a fortuitous meeting occurred with the English envoy Thomas Howard, the Earl of Arundel. Hollar joined the entourage and was employed to record their travels. At the end of the year the Earl of Arundel returned to England and was joined by Hollar. For the next six years he worked closely alongside him. The Earl and his circle were fervent Royalists which it appears matched Hollar's own sympathies. According to the eighteenth-century engraver George Vertue, he fought during the Civil War being present at the garrison of Basing House in 1644 with other notable artists such as Inigo Jones and William Faithorne. During this period some of his engravings were published by the largest printseller at the time, Peter Stent. The Arundel's had left London for Holland just before the outbreak of the Civil War. In 1646 Hollar joined them only to return in 1652.In 1660 Hollar proposed to produce a very large plan of London '10 foot in bredth, and 5 foot upward wherein shall be expressed, not onely the streets, lanes, alleys etc. proportionably measured; but also the buildings (especially of the principall houses, churches, courts, halls, etc.) as much resembling the likeness of them, as the convenience of the roome will permitt'. It was never completed due to the Fire of London destroying that which he had recorded.Almost certainly Hollar witnessed the fire. Quickly he planned this engraving drawing for the upper panel from his magnificent earlier panorama of 1647 taken from the perspective of the steeple of Southwark Cathedral which at the time was known as the church of St. Mary Overy. It is highly likely that Hollar would have returned to the same spot to record the lower image and the deva.

Seller Inventory # 10470

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A True and Exact Prospect of the Famous Citty of London . in its Flourishing Condition before the Fire/ Another Prospect of the Sayd Citty Taken from the Same Place as it Appeareth now after the Sad Calamitie and Destruction by Fire .
• Publisher: Sould by John Overton at the White Horse at the corner of the little old Baly neere the fountaine tavern without Newgate, London
• Publication Date: 1666
• Binding: No binding
• Seller catalogs:
  • English counties
  • England