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Thirty Years War (1618-48)

Maps, prints and letterpress text covering the major battles and sieges of the war

? RAPHAEL SADELER THE YOUNGER (1584-1632)

Battle of Bílá Hora and Prague, 1620

TABVLA II. CÆSARIANARVM ET BOIARICARVM COPIARVMANTE PRÆLIVM IN ORDINEM DIGESTARVM FACIEM OSTENDI

1620 or later

Engraving and etching; printed from two copperplates on two sheets of paper, joined; mounted on paper (Mount Type A), mount cropped (about 1.2 cm of the old mount extends from the left edge) | 42.0 x 71.0 cm (image and sheet) | RCIN 721141.c

A high oblique view of the opposing Imperial and Bohemian forces shown drawn up in order of battle at the Battle of Bílá Hora (White Mountain), which was fought on 8 November 1620 between Protestant rebels of Bohemia, commanded by Prince Christian of Anhalt (11 May 1568-17 April 1630) and the Catholic forces of the Holy Roman Empire (commanded by Johan Tserclaes, Count of Tilly (February 1559-30 April 1632), resulting in an Imperial victory. Thirty Years War (1618-1648)

The view shows, bottom left, part of the Imperial artillery and baggage train with labourers (I) on the Prague road, crossing the stream (G; perhaps the present-day Litovický potok); bottom right, the massed troops of the Imperial army (A and B) with their artillery (D and E) are in position and firing at the enemy (Bohemian) soldiers (C), while the Bohemian artillery is firing from small, newly constructed redoubts (F; note that the redoubt to the left of the Bohemian trench being hastily dug, K, is wrongly annotated ‘E’ instead of ‘F’).

This is the second in a series of four plates depicting the battle (see RCINs 721141.a, e, g). The explanatory letterpress text to this view is at RCIN 721141.d.

A smaller version of this print, by Jan Sadeler was published by Raphael Sadeler II in 1621 as one of four prints with a separate title-page. These smaller prints carried the title and key in letterpress, printed on the same sheet as the view (see also BM 1897,0113.66; Hollstein 140-144).

  • ? Raphael Sadeler the Younger (1584-1632) (engraver)

  • Watermark: Coat of arms: a bunch of grapes on stand in shield, the letter ‘M’ resting on each shoulder of the shield, the letter 'A' below shield

    Condition: three fold lines; creased; considerable wear, and one tear, along folds; top right corner missing; some brown discolouration. Verso: surface dirt; remains of Mount Type A; no gilt edges

  • 42.0 x 71.0 cm (image and sheet)

    cropped (platemark)

  • Printed title:

    TABVLA II. CÆSARIANARVM ET BOIARICARVM COPIARVMANTE PRÆLIVM IN ORDINEM DIGESTARVM FACIEM OSTENDI. [across top of view]

    Annotations:

    George III heading: Prague Nov.r 1620.

    Other annotations: none.

    George III catalogue entry:

    Prague Delineationes Aciei et Pugnæ ad Pragam Factæ 7 Novembris 1620, tabulis quatuor expressæ: per Raph. Sadeler: cum Descriptionibus.

     

  • Subject(s)

    Bílá Hora, near Prague, Czech Republic (50°05ʹ00ʺN 14°20ʹ00ʺE)

    Prague, Hlavní Mesto Praha, Czech Republic (50°05'16"N 14°25'14"E)

  • Bibliographic reference(s)

    M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2825

Page revisions

  • 14 March 2024