Description
This is a Matthäus Merian view of London, engraved in 1638 for inclusion in his
Archontologia cosmica. It was based on an earlier, 1616 panorama of the city by Claes Visscher (1587 - 1652.) The four-sheet, nearly seven-foot-long Visscher is an all but unobtainable rarity, with only a handful of known copies in institutional and private hands. (An example sold at Christies in 2018 for nearly $150,000.) The Merian expertly reduces the image, preserving much of its detail and elegance. The detail and recognizability of the image are particularly remarkable, given that neither Merian nor Visscher ever had visited London; Visscher s view was based on traditional printed maps (possibly including John Norden s
Description
An important and stunning c. 1642 bird s eye view and map of Rome by Matthäus Merian. Merian s panoramic view of Rome, based on the eastward oriented model established in 1593 by Antonio Tempesta, reveals the city at the height of the Italian Renaissance. The view looks on Rome from the northwest - thus looking roughly southwest. This map follows shortly after Pope Sixtus V s ambitious civic redesign of Rome and yet predates the massive rebuilding that occurred during the Baroque Period, thus encapsulating the city during an ephemeral but significant period. The axonometric projection that Merian utilizes lends this map a special significance to historians and architects who can thus visualize many buildings that were demolished or fell into ruin during the subsequent era.
Description
This is a beautiful full-color example of Matthäus Merian c. 1642 view of Venice at the height of its prosperity. The view looks directly north on Venice from a fictional highpoint in the Adriatic just south of Giudecca. The Piazza San Marco appears at center, with the Grand Canal winding its way through the neighboring islands Murano, Burano, Torcello, and Mazorbo, among others. The harbor is particularly bustling, with ships of all sizes and shapes waiting to dock. The armorial crest of the Republic of Venice appears in the upper right, crowned by the Doge s cap and the winged Lion of Venice at center.