Vera Effigies Urbis et Montis Frisingensis, qua Meridiem, Alpes Monachium, et Ingentem Planitiem Aspicit 1642 - Die...

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Hand-Colored Original Copperplate Engraving by Matthias Merian, depicting Vera Effigies Urbis et Montis Frisingensis, qua Meridiem, Alpes Monachium, et Ingentem Planitiem Aspicit 1642 - Die Statt Freisingen, gegen Mitternacht.. Published Frankfurt, 1644. Sheet: 28.5 x 36,5 cm (11.25 x 14,25 inches).. A fine and original hand-colored example of Merian's celebrated cartographic work, documenting this region of Germany with the precision and decorative artistry characteristic of the 16400s. Matthaus Merian the Elder (1593-1650) was a Swiss-born engraver and publisher who settled in Frankfurt, where he ran one of the most important printing houses in 17th-century Germany. His greatest work, the Topographia Germaniae (21 volumes, 1642-1654), contained more than 2,000 individual engravings of German cities, towns, fortifications, and landscapes -- the first true visual guidebook to Germany. His views combine scientific topographic accuracy with a theatrical Baroque aesthetic, making them among the most desirable of all 17th-century topographic prints. Merian's work is held in major collections including the Stadel Museum Frankfurt, the Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg, and the British Library. This plate presents a original copperplate engraving, with original hand coloring depicting the city of Vera Effigies Urbis et Montis Frisingensis, qua Meridiem, Alpes Monachium, et Ingentem Planitiem Aspicit 1642 - Die Statt Freisingen, gegen Mitternacht., published in Frankfurt, 1644. Such topographic views from Merian's workshop are primary historical documents of German urban history in the 1600s, now prized equally by historians, map collectors, and interior decorators. Sheet measures 28.5 x 36,5 cm (11.25 x 14,25 inches).. In good condition overall, with minor signs of age appropriate for a 17th-century engraving. Ready to frame.

Vera Effigies Urbis et Montis Frisingensis, qua Meridiem, Alpes Monachium, et Ingentem Planitiem Aspicit 1642 - Die Statt Freisingen, gegen Mitternacht. - Ma...

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