Italy - Ancona; Merian - Ancona - 1681-1700

Ancona

A scarce and attractive copper line engraving on paper, produced by the Merian family for their "Topographia Italiae" published in Frankfurt in 1688. This attractive finely engraved map comes from the last volume of Merian's "Neuwe Archontologica Cosmica", published in 30 parts between 1642 and 1688. After Merian the elder died, the work was continued by his sons Mathias and Caspar. This is the final volume of 30 volumes published over a 46 year run, it is the scarcest of Merian's works.

Very good condition. Uncoloured as issued.

A guaranteed genuine antique map.
Matthäus Merian



Matthäus Merian (25 March 1621 – 15 February 1687) was a Swiss engraver and

portrait painter. He was born in Basel as the eldest son of Matthäus Merian the

Elder and his first wife Maria Magdalena née de Bry; like his father he became an

engraver. He was the half-brother of Maria Sybilla Merian and the brother of Caspar

Merian . He is documented as having served Carl Gustaf Wrangel as an importer of

wine and other luxury goods and is known for his portraits. He became a teacher

of Bartholomäus Kilian .

After the death of his grandfather Johann Theodor de Bry, his father took over his

publishing house in Frankfurt , where Matthew the Younger became a pupil of

Joachim von Sandrart. With him he went to Amsterdam in 1637, to Paris in 1641 and

to London in 1639 with Anthonis van Dyck.

In 1642, Merian returned to Frankfurt, but from 1643 to 1647 he stayed in Italy to

study. In 1647 he took part as a political agent and representative of several princes at

the Peace Congress in Nuremberg , of whose participants he made portraits. From

1647/48 he was also in the service of Carl Gustaf Wrangel , whom he portrayed

several times.

After the death of his father in 1650, he ran the publishing house together with his

younger brother Caspar Merian and published further volumes of the Topographia

Germaniae and the Theatrum Europaeum . Apart from these series, however, the

publishing house produced hardly any books. Merian achieved his greatest successes

as a portraitist, for example in 1658 at the coronation of Leopold I in Frankfurt.

Merian also created altarpieces, among others for Bamberg Cathedral and

the Barfüßerkirche in Frankfurt.

Merian died on 15 February 1687 in Frankfurt. His grave in the Peterskirchhof in

Frankfurt is preserved.120