|
||
|
|
|
|
Vesuvius in Full Eruption. The End of Quiescence.
Beautiful engraved bird's-eye view of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, after an image by Sandrart. This view was published in Frankfurt in the 17th century and shows townspeople fleeing the volcano's wrath.
The image shows towns in the foothills of Vesuvius engulfed in flam. A key at the bottom lists eleven points on the view that are described in German.
This shows the eruption of 1631, which killed some 3000 people due to lahar flows. The volcano had been quiet since the 13th century but the 1631 eruption was a surprise. Semi-continuous eruptions continue to this day, with the last major eruption coming in 1944.
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
![[Spanish Siege of Ostia] Il Vero Disegno Del Sito Di Hostia e Di Porto Con Li Forti Fatti Dal Campo Di Sua Santita et Delli Imperiali Qualisi Resero Adi XXIIII Genaro M. D. L V II . . . .](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/75401.jpg)
![[Rome / Controlling The Tiber River] Parer di Gio Paolo Maggio Archit Sopra l'inondation di Roma](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/85891.jpg)
