Beautiful antique engraved map of Padua, published by Matthaus Merian in the middle of the 17th century.
The map, orientated with east at the top, includes great detail of the city with all of the buildings rendered pictorially. Sixty places of interest are labeled throughout, including churches, palaces, and statues.
The map is particularly interesting for its inclusion in the upper right corner of a depiction showing the structures of locks, which is an unusual feature to focus on for this map.
Matthaus Merian was one of the most prolific and important engravers of Northern Europe of the time, who operated out of Frankfurt. He published and reissued several notable views of Italian cities.
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