Bernard Von Breydenbach

Corevn [Corfu]

      Rare incunable town view of Corfu, from Von Breydenbach's Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam, publishedin Mainz in 1486. Breydenbach’s work is the first illustrated travel book ever printed and the earliest printed work to include accurate topographical depictions. Bernhard von Breydenbach, a wealthy canon of the cathedral at Mainz, compiled the work during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1483-4. Breydenbach was accompanied by Erhard Reuwich, an artist from Utrecht, who is credited as maker of the map and the six views of Mediterranean towns which accompany the book, Iraklion, Modoni, Rhodes and Venice, Corfu and Parenzo. The Peregrinatio was the first illustrated travel book to be printed. It also broke new ground with the Palestine map and the four large views, which are the first folding plates to appear in a printed book. Reuwich is also the first illustrator to be named in print and his prospects are considered to be the earliest authentic printed town views. (Mainz, 1486) [color: Uncolored, size: 16 x 10 inches, condition: VG]