Belgium - Spa; Matthäus Merian (1593 – 1650) - Vicus Spadanus Amoenissimus et Saluberrimus - 1651-1660

Original copper-engraved print of extraordinary historical and documentary importance, drawn from the famous 'Topographie' series of the Merian workshop. The plate offers a splendid and detailed bird's-eye view of the Belgian town of Spa, nestled in the verdant hilly landscape of the Ardennes. Spa, since antiquity and especially from the 16th and 17th centuries, became famous throughout Europe as the principal and most renowned spa resort on the continent, so much so that its very name has become the universal term for healing waters and well-being. The composition is distinguished by the presence of two characteristic aquaforte frames (etching inserts) placed in the lower corners, illustrating the social life of the era connected to spa culture. In the bottom-left panel ("La Fontaine Sauvenier"), the famous Sauvenière spring is shown, with a woman serving cups of water to the cure-seekers gathered behind a wooden railing. In the bottom-right panel ("La Fontaine Pouhon"), the historic Pouhon spring situated in the market square is depicted, surrounded by visitors and aristocrats equipped with pitchers and glasses. In the center, at the foot of the plate, a legend with the letters A, B and C identifies the access routes and the exact location of the thermal springs within the urban fabric.

Dimensions 33 x 39 cm
Will be shipped by courier