Thirty Years War (1618-48)
Maps, prints and letterpress text covering the major battles and sieges of the war
Gustavus Adolphus and his army marching across the Rhine, c.1631 (Oppenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany) 49°51ʹ17ʺN 08°21ʹ35ʺE
1631 or laterEtching and engraving; printed on paper; traces of old hand-colouring: green on woods and foreground, some red on the flags; pricking through; laid down on two pieces of paper; mounted on paper (Mount Type B) | 22.5 x 31.6 cm (image and sheet) | RCIN 722061
A view of the passage of the Rhine on 7 December 1631 by Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden (19 December 1594-16 November 1632) and the taking of Oppenheim by Swedish troops on 8 December. Thirty Years War (1618-1648). Oriented with south-south-east to top (cardinal points).
The view looks to the south along the Rhine with the towns of Nerstein (Nierstein 49°52ʹ31ʺN 08°20ʹ48ʺE), Denhem (Dienheim 49°50ʹ14ʺN 08°20ʹ59ʺE, Stockstat (Stockstadt am Rhein 49°48ʹ34ʺN 08°28ʹ22ʺE), Gintzheim (Gimbsheim 49°46ʹ40ʺN 08°22ʹ30ʺE), Altzheim an d’oude Rhyne (Alsheim 49°46ʹ05ʺN 08°20ʹ25ʺE), Gernsheim (49°45ʹ11N 08°29ʹ19ʺE), Bibisheym (Biebesheim am Rhein 49°46ʹ51ʺN 08°28ʹ01ʺE), and, on the southern horizon, Worms (49°37ʹ58ʺN 08°21ʹ33ʺE).
It is possible that RCIN 722061 was engraved for the Dutch market. An almost identical, but simpler, version was published in vol.II of Merian’s Theatrum Europaeum in 1633, but with a different title, in German, and a different layout for the key which gave the same information as RCIN 722061. Entitled Abbildung des Ohrts und gelegenheit, da Ihr Maÿstat der König zu Schweden mit dero Armeen über den Rhein gesetzt, die Spanische Reüterei in die Flucht gebracht und die Statt Oppenheim 7. 9bris. 1631, this different view appeared between pages 450 and 451.
Anonymous (cartographer)
Subject(s)
Army-SwedenWatermark: View: indistinct: a large crowned shield, fleur-de-lys within? Mount: none. Backing paper: three circles one above the other, a cross in the top circle, the letters T [G] in the middle one, the letter A in the bottom circle, crown above [similar top Heawood 253]
Condition: poor; creased and torn, with pieces missing; considerable surface dirt; no gilt edges. Verso: the detail from another print has been transferred to the paste/glue along the right edge. Pressure marks from the mounts of items which were kept above and below this print in a different collection are present on the recto and verso
22.5 x 31.6 cm (image and sheet)
20.0 x 31.6 cm (neatline)
cropped (platemark)
27.7 x 39.5 cm (mount)
Printed title:
De oort daer de K. van Sweden ouer de Rhyn setten, en de Spaensche Ruyte. in de Vlucht sloeg en Stat Oppen[he]im inna[m] [rest is cropped]. [across top of view]
Additional text:
[below the view, a key, A-I, K-S.]
Annotations:
George III heading: Passage of the Rhine by Gustavus Adolphus in 1631.
Other annotations: (Recto) [top right, red pencil, cropped:] … 1631 by Gustavus Adolphus; [bottom right, black pencil:] 1631. (Verso) [top left, black pencil:] II/51; [right of centre, red pencil:] 1/186 [and, black pencil:] II/51; [top right, on view, black pencil:] Rhine.
George III catalogue entry:
Rhine Representation of the Army of Gustavus Adolphus King of Sweden, passing the Rhine near Oppenheim in 1631.
Subject(s)
Oppenheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany (49°51ʹ17ʺN 08°21ʹ35ʺE)
Bibliographic reference(s)
W. Harte, The history of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, London 1759, pp. 59-50, 420
Mark McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 2936
Page revisions
25 May 2024
Current version
