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Description

Detailed view of the city of Tunis, in present-day Tunisia, showing the town plan, various churches and places of worship, the fortified walls of the city, and more. Many ships are moored in the city's harbor known today as the "Lake of Tunis." The foreground of the map depicts a lion hunt.

This view originally appeared in Merian's Neuwe Archontologica Cosmica . . ., published in 1638.

Matthaus 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