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Overview
Matthäus Merian der Ältere (or "Matthew", "the Elder", or "Sr."; 1593–1650) was a Swiss-born printmaker who worked in Frankfurt for most of his career, where he also ran a publishing house. He was a member of the patrician Basel Merian family.
Born in Basel, Merian learned the art of copperplate engraving in Zürich. He next worked and studied in Strasbourg, Nancy and Paris - the theme of this print - before returning to Basel in 1615. The following year he moved to Oppenheim, Germany where he worked for the publisher Johann Theodor de Bry, who was the son of the renowned engraver and traveler Theodor de Bry, and Peter Aubry, the publisher of our print.
In 1617, Merian married Maria Magdalena de Bry, daughter of the publisher, and was for a time associated with the de Bry publishing house. In 1620, when Oppenheim was destroyed by fire during the Spanish occupation, they moved back to Basel, but three years later returned to Germany, this time to Frankfurt. They had four daughters and three sons, including Matthäus Merian the Younger. Maria Magdalena de Bry died in 1645 and the following year Matthäus married Johanna Catharina Hein. Five years later, Matthäus died, leaving his wife with two small children, one of whom Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) later became a pioneering naturalist and illustrator.
In professional terms, 1623 Merian took over the publishing house of his father-in-law after de Bry's death. In 1626 he became a citizen of Frankfurt and could henceforth work as an independent publisher. He spent most of his working life in Frankfurt.
Early in his life, he had created detailed town plans in his unique style, e.g. a plan of Basel (1615) and a plan of Paris (1615). With Martin Zeiler (1589-1661), a German geographer, and later (circa 1640) with his own son, Matthäus Merian II (1621-1687), he produced a series of Topographia. The 21-volume set was collectively known as the Topographia Germaniae. It includes numerous town plans and views, as well as maps of most countries and a World Map—it was such a popular work that it was re-issued in many editions. He also took over and completed the later parts and editions of the Grand Voyages and Petits Voyages, originally started by de Bry in 1590.
Merian's work inspired the Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna by Erik Dahlberg. The German travel magazine Merian is named after him. He was also noted for the finesse of his alchemical illustrations. After Matthäus's death, his sons Matthäus Jr. and Caspar took over the publishing house. They continued publishing the Topographia Germaniae and the Theatrum Europaeum under the name Merian Erben (i.e. Merian Heirs).
This view of Paris reveals Merian's topographical predilections and probably dates from his documented overseas experience (1611-15). It is plate 6 of a larger series, Landscapes in France. The publisher was Peter Aubry, who was based in Oppenheim when Merian went on to live there (1616-20). As with the best topographical art, the etching is not lacking in quirks, motifs and characters of interest. In the foreground, moving to the right, an open-sided, covered carriage is pulled by a team of three galloping horses. A grand-looking woman seated prominently at the visible door of the carriage as it crosses the Seine. They will no doubt fly past the beggar woman with crutches to the right, who holds out her hand for alms. In the background, the Louvre - in living memory converted from a castle to a royal residence on the left and the twin towers of Notre-Dame de Paris on the right are clearly recognisable.
See: Wikipedia, 'Matthäus Merian', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matth%C3%A4us_Merian
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art April 2019