Matteus Merian the Elder ( German: Matthäus Merian der Ältere ; September 22, 1593 , Basel - June 19, 1650 , Bad Schwalbach ) - Swiss artist, engraver and publisher .
| Matthaus Merian the Elder | |
|---|---|
| Matthäus merian der Ältere | |
 | |
| Date of Birth | September 22, 1593 |
| Place of Birth | Basel |
| Date of death | June 19, 1650 (56 years) |
| Place of death | Bad schwalbach |
| A country | |
| Occupation | , , , |
| Spouse | |
| Children | , and |
Content
Biography
Merian studied the art of engraving on copper plates in Zurich , later worked and studied in Strasbourg , Nancy and Paris , until in 1615 he returned to Basel. The following year, he moved to Frankfurt , Germany, where he worked for the publisher Johann Theodore de Brie , and in 1617 married his daughter Maria Magdalena de Brie ( him. Maria Magdalena de Bry , 1598-1645). In 1620 they moved to Basel, and three years later they returned to Frankfurt, where Merian inherited the publishing house of his father-in-law after his death in 1623 . In 1626, Merian became a Frankfurt citizen and could now work as an independent publisher.
In 1647, the daughter of Anna Maria Sibilla Merian was born, who later became a naturalist and scientific illustrator. After several years of illness, Matthäus Merian died in 1650 in Bad Schwalbach, near Wiesbaden .
Creativity
Merian spent most of his life working in Frankfurt. In the early years he created detailed city plans in his own unique style, for example, the plan of the city of Basel in 1615. Together with the German geographer Martin Zeiler and later (c. 1640 ) with his son Matthäus Merian Jr. (1621-1687) he created the series “Topographia Germaniae” (21 volumes), including a large number of plans and types of cities, maps of many countries and a geographical map of the world. The series has become very popular and reprinted many times. He also completed and published the Grand Voyages and Petits Voyages started by Johann Theodore de Brie in 1590 (travels to America and western India , as well as to eastern India). Merian's engravings were used to illustrate the historical works of the historian Gotofredus .
Merian's work served as a pretext for the publication by Eric Dahlberg of his work "Sweden is ancient and modern" (1660-1716). The German travel magazine Merian was named after Merian.
Notes
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matthaus Merian