Frans Hogenberg: A Flemish Cartographer and Witness to Turbulent Times Frans Hogenberg, born in Mechelen, Flanders, around 1535 and passing away in Cologne in 1597, was more than simply a painter; he was a pivotal figure in the burgeoning world of early mapmaking and a keen observer of his era’s dramatic shifts. His life intersected with some of the most turbulent events in European history – the rise of Protestantism, the Spanish Inquisition, and the devastating Sack of Antwerp – shaping both his artistic output and ultimately contributing to a unique visual record of a continent in transit…