Matthäus Merian
France - Paris, Panoramic view with key, 1646
An original black & white copper-engraving
11 x 27 ½ in
28 x 70 cm
28 x 70 cm
FRp1728
Panoramic view with key: RARE contemporary record by one of the great engravers of his time. The city is viewed from the present day Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, looking south west,...
Panoramic view with key: RARE contemporary record by one of the great engravers of his time. The city is viewed from the present day Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, looking south west, to the vast fortifications of the now disappeared Etienne Marcel. The Seine meanders its way through the medieval city whilst in the foreground, Merian is seated on a boulder sketching.
Born in Switzerland in 1593, Mathaus Merian studied
engraving in Zurich, then travelled throughout France before settling in Frankfurt. There he gained a position in the successful publishing house of
Johann Theodor de Bry, the leading German engraver of his time, eventually
marrying his daughter Maria. After de Bry's death, Merian took over the business to become one of the most significant
publisher/engravers in Germany during the early 17th century.
