Daniel Specklin was one of the most important German regional map-makers of the 16th century, although he was better known during his lifetime as a military architect. Few impressions of his maps and views survive. Of the extant works, most are engraved maps and views of Strasbourg and the surrounding region of Alsace. Two such engravings are found in the Novacco Collection of the Newberry Library.

Specklin was born in Strasbourg in 1536, the son of Veit Rudolf Specklin, an engraver whose works included the plates for the Krauterbuch by L. Fuchs which appeared in Latin in 1542 and in German the following year.

Although little is known of his early career in either engraving or architecture, by 1570 Specklin had become a well-recognized military architect. In 1570 and the years immediately following, he traveled to the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, and Prussia to construct fortifications. So great was his reputation in the field that few military bastions were built during this period without his consultation. Following the completion of those projects, he returned to Strasbourg for a short time in 1576.

Dated maps and views printed with Specklin's name appeared during 1576 while he was in Strasbourg. The same year Specklin was called away from engraving to advise Kaiser Maximilian on the defensive capacity of his Hungarian fortifications. Shortly thereafter he was named chief architect to Albert of Bavaria, for whom he designed fortifications in Bavaria, Regensburg, and Ingolstadt.

When he returned to Strasbourg in the mid-80s, he laid out the city wall and bastions. Several important buildings constructed during this time have been attributed to him, including the large Rathaus, erected in 1583 on the site where the Bourse (Hotel de Commerce) was installed in 1811.

Specklin's later years were devoted to writing and map-making. He wrote and illustrated several texts, including Architectura von Festungen (the architecture of fortresses), a practical building guide which was reprinted many times. Recalling the Nuremburg Chronicle of 1493 (as had many German map-makers before him), Specklin wrote and illustrated a Strasbourg Chronicle in 1587. The view of Strasbourg, or "Argentina" (found in the Novacco collection of the Newberry Library) is dated to 1587 as well, the year of Specklin's Chronicle.

The first view illustrating the walled city of Strasbourg (1), entitled "Argentina" (the ancient name for Strasbourg, from the Roman "Argentoratum") measures 17.5 x 13 cm and is one of two known copies. Formerly in the Destombes Collection, this example is an idealized view of the city, dominated by the great Munster and surrounded by a sequence of walls, a portion of which was designed and built by the artist and architect, Daniel Specklin. Major churches as well as the Pfenningthorn (counting house) are represented. These landmarks are carefully identified by a number or letter that refers to the key at the lower left.

This second example (2), covering Strasbourg and the surrounding region, is described with hundreds of small, castellated towns and strongholds. The design harks back to earlier models, particularly works attributed to Erhard Etzlaub, such as his map entitled Das ist der Rom Weg (the way to Rome) which was made for pilgrims in the holy year of 1500.

The most prominent feature of the map is the Rhine, drawn in snake-like fashion. Towns are small and undifferentiated with three exceptions: Strasbourg itself, Basel, and Freiburg. The rectangular cartouche at the upper right contains an inscription which describes the region and to the left is the "Hartt" (deer) forest with a beribboned cross bearing the title of the map.

From what is know of Specklin's work, these are characteristic views. Although his works of military architecture were executed throughout Northern Europe, the known maps and prints focused almost exclusively on the area immediately surrounding the city of Strasbourg. Together, these examples aptly attest to the regional significance of Strasbourg in the 16th century as well as the significance of Specklin as a map-engraver.