Beautifully coloured plan of Moscow from the landmark Braun & Hogenberg atlas of cities throughout the world entitled “Civitates Orbis Terrarum” first published in 1572. The plate, initially appearing in 1575, displays a bird’s-eye view of the city surrounded by a fortified wall and rivers with five large buildings and churches surrounded by rows of uniform wooden houses. The image appears to be based on a drawing by Sigismund von Herberstein done in 1547 just before the great fire that destroyed much of the old city at the start of the reign of Ivan IV, better known as Ivan the Terrible. At the bottom, shown on a hilltop outside of the city walls are a group of armed soldiers on horseback and on the right are men in horse-drawn sleighs are crossing the frozen Moskva River. A description of Moscow appears verso in French. The map, which has professional repairs to a small hole in the top title cartouche and the bottom centre blank margin, is a lovely, strong dark impression with ample margins on heavy stable paper in very good condition. 35 cm x 49 cm