17th Century View of Geneva by Matthaus Merian – Geneve Genf (Sold)
17th Century city view of Geneva on Lac Leman in Switzerland – original antique copperplate print circa 1640. Elegantly framed and matted.
From Topographica Helvetiae, Rhaetiae et Valesiae published in Frankfurt am Main by Matthaus Merian. We are not certain which edition this engraving come from, but it certainly dates to the 17th Century.
Dimensions in the frame: 46 X 36 cm / Platemark Dimensions: 29.5 x 20.5 cm
SOLD
Matthäus Merian (1593-1650) was a prolific engraver and publisher known in particular for his detailed city views.
Born in Basel, he studied in Paris, Nancy and Strasburg and in 1616 moved to Oppenheim where he went to work for the famous publishing house run by Johann Theodor de Bry. A year later he married de Bry’s daughter. The family was forced to move to Frankfurt after Oppenheim was destroyed by fire during the Thirty Years War when the Spanish occupied the town.
Mattheus Merian the Elder was the father of engraver Matthäus the Younger, and of the painter, engraver, and naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian. He was born in Basel, Switzerland and trained in engraving in Zurich.
