17th Century Views of Nyon, Murten and Avenches by Matthaus Merian the Elder
Nyon, Murten and Avenches in the 17th Century
Copperplate Engraving by Matthaus Merian the Elder from Topographia Helvetiae, Rhaetiae et Valesiae published in Frankfurt am Main 1654
Murten, Neuis – Nion, Aventicum – Wifflisburg – Views of the towns of Murten, Nyon, and Avenches in the 17th Century with a detail of surviving pieces of ancient Roman ruins from Avenches.
Condition: Some damage along the center fold and discoloration at the center as shown.
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.
