Architecture.- Copenhagen.- Thurah (Laurids de) Hafnia hodierna eller Udforlig Beskrivelse om den Kongelige Residente- og Hoved-Stad Kiobenhaven, first edition, title and text in Danish, French and German, engraved frontispiece incorporating the arms of Copenhagen, 110 plates (including a large folding panorama), and charming vignette head- and tail-pieces, frontispiece trimmed to border and laid down, some spotting or foxing, occasional mostly light staining, lightly browned, contemporary calf, richly gilt spine in compartments and with leather label, joints starting, but holding firm, foot of spine little chipped, rubbed and marked, scuffed, with small areas of loss to leather at foot, [Berlin Kat. 2260; Bruun II, 606], 4to, Copenhagen, Ernst Henrich Berling, 1748.

⁂ Laurids de Thurah (1706-1759) was the foremost architect in Denmark during the reign of Christian VI (1730-1746). He received a military education and studied in Germany and Italy, where he was attracted to the large scale baroque and the decorative possibilities offered by the rococo. His most original work was the famous spiral tower added to Lambert van Haven's Our Saviour Church at Christianshavn in 1749-1752, inspired by Boromini's work in Rome. Thurah retired in 1750 to the mediaeval abbey at Borgumkloster, which he rebuilt with larger windows and gables. (see T. Faber, A History of Danish Architecture, Copenhagen, 1978).