Royal Exchange

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Wenceslaus Hollar depicted this international marketplace in intricate detail, including such intimate scenes as a woman hawking broadsheet prints on the left and Turkish vendors in the center. Sir Thomas Gresham, whose portrait medallion hangs beneath the title in later states, built this impressive structure in 1569. The building burned to the ground in London’s Great Fire, 22 years after Hollar’s depiction. The print would be reissued in 1668, however, catering to public interest by adding a caption reading, “This is ye Exact Representation of ye Royall Exchange as it was before ye late Fire, 1666, designed and engauen by W. Hollar.”

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