Marchionatus Brandenburgensis Ducatus Pomeraniae et Ducatus Mecklenburgicus excusi et venales prostantes apud...

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Original hand-colored copper engraving by Matthäus Seutter, Imperial Geographer to Emperor Charles VI, published in Augsburg c. 1720–25. An impressive map covering the Marquisate of Brandenburg, the Duchy of Mecklenburg, and the Duchy of Pomerania — from the island of Rügen in the north to the Neisse in the south. Sheet: 500 × 585 mm (19¾ × 23 in). A richly decorated masterwork of Augsburg Baroque cartography, centering a large allegorical title cartouche and fine original hand color. Matthäus Seutter (1678–1757) was one of Germany's foremost 18th-century cartographers, born and trained in Augsburg. He apprenticed as an engraver under Johann Baptist Homann in Nuremberg before founding his own publishing house in 1707. By 1732 he had been appointed Imperial Geographer by Emperor Charles VI — a title reserved for cartographers of exceptional standing. Seutter's atlases, including the Atlas Geographicus (1725) and the Grosser Atlas (1734), are landmarks of Augsburg Baroque cartography, combining geographical precision with lavish decorative engraving. His maps are held in major library and cartographic collections across Europe and North America. This large copper engraving (500 × 585 mm) maps the electoral Marquisate of Brandenburg together with the Duchy of Mecklenburg and the Duchy of Pomerania — a vast northeastern German territory stretching from the island of Rügen in the north to the Neisse in the south, from Lüneburg in the west to Thorn (Toruń) and the Weichsel (Vistula) in the east. The decorative program is typical of Seutter at his most exuberant: a large Baroque title cartouche in the upper right, flanked by angels bearing the coats of arms of the depicted regions, and an allegorical mileage scale in the lower right corner. Published c. 1720–25, the original hand color in outline and wash has been preserved in vibrant condition. A very well preserved copy. Good, even impression with the original decorative hand color in outline and wash intact. No tears, repairs, or significant defects.

Matthäus Seutter – Brandenburg, Mecklenburg & Pomerania · Original Hand-Colored Copper Engraving · Imperial Geographer · Augsburg c.1720–25