An important 17th century prospect of Jerusalem

Impressive prospect of the Jerusalem of the New Testament with a fifty-point key. Top left is an inset map of the city, also with a key. Superbly detailed, it is possible to pick out all the most important buildings of the period, including the Temple, palaces, theatres, the Stadium and the various gates in the city walls. Hollar, a Bohemian, is renowned for the quality of his etching. Born in 1607 he was brought to England in 1636 by the Earl of Arundel, a well-known connoisseur. During the English Civil War his Royalist sympathies forced him to flee to Antwerp, where he completed his most famous work, the 'Long View' of London. After his return in 1652 he worked for many of the most famous names in London publishing, including Ogilby, Overton, Blome and Morden, and became Iconographer to the King in 1660. This did not stop him dying almost penniless in 1677: His last words were addressed to the bailiffs asking them not to remove his bed.