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Description

Scarce map of the Straits of Magellan, from Merian's edition of Part 9 of De Bry's Grand Voyages.

Fascinating chart of the Strait of Magellan, showing Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia. Includes a profile of the geography of the strait, sea banks or shoals, scale, dividers, and compass rose. Includes four native American figures: a Patagonian giant [?], a woman giving a bird to a child, a man wearing feathered headdress and garment, and a woman wearing a cloak.

Also includes penguin, snail, spear, bow and arrow.

Matthaeus Merian Biography

Mathaus Merian (1593-1650) 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. After a time in Nancy, Paris and Strasbourg, he settled in Frankfurt. While there, he worked for Johann Theodor de Bry, the publisher and son of the travel writer. In 1617, he married Maria Magdalena de Bry, Johann Theodor’s daughter. In 1623, Merian took over the de Bry publishing house upon the death of his father-in-law. Merian’s best known works are detailed town views which, due to their accuracy and artistry, form a valuable record of European urban life in the first half of the sixteenth century