Matthäus Merian I’s engraving, “The Battle of Rain am Lech”, 1632

Matthäus Merian I (aka Matthaeus Merian) (1593–1650)

“The Battle of Rain am Lech” (aka “Delineation of the meeting by the River Lech”)—a battle between Protestant Swedish troops and Catholic League troops fought on 15 April 1632 as part of the Thirty Years' War, 1632, published in Frankfurt am Main in 1633 in “Theatrum Europaeum”, vol. 2, (insert plate after) p. 524.

Etching and engraving on laid paper with a small margin around the platemark.

Size: (sheet) 21.6 x 34.8 cm; (plate) 20.8 x 33.4 cm; (inner image borderline) 19.4 x 32.9 cm.

Lettered in plate above the image borderline: “Delineation deß Treffens an dem Lech, welcher gestalt der König in Schweden über selbiges Wasser kommen und den Hertzogen in Beӱern neben dem Graffen von Tillӱ in die Flucht geschlagen.” (Delineation of the meeting on the river Lech, which the king in Sweden had come across that same water and put the heart in Beyern to flight next to the Count of Tilly.)

Lettered in plate within the image borderline: (upper centre) “PRÆLIVM AD LICUM COMMISSUM INTER REGEM SUE CORUM & COMITEM THILLY UM.”

Lettered in plate below the image borderline with alphabet legend to notations in the image: “A. Ihr kon: May zu Schwed Armee./ B Schwedische Batterien und geschütz.// C. Tranchee an dem Wasser./ D. Ein grosser Rauch darunter die Brücke geschlag worde.// E. die Brücke über den Lech.// F. Finnländische Reiter so/ durchs Wasser gesetzt.// G. der Waldt darin die Tillisch./ Armee gelegen.// H. Tillisch geschütz./ I. Tranchieren um das Tillische Lager.// K. Regiment Tillisch Fusvolck./ L. Tillische Flucht nach Rain.// M. die Stadt Rain.”

The Smålands Museum offers a description of this print and the following information about the location of the portrayed battle:

“The Lech is a river in Bavaria in southern Germany. It flows up into the western parts of Austria through the village of Lech. The river then flows in a northerly direction past Landsberg and Augsburg until it flows into the Danube, at the town of Rain am Lech.” (https://digitaltmuseum.se/021047776169/delineation-des-treffens-aus-dem-lech-kopparstick).

Condition: a strong and well-printed early impression with a small margin. Beyond restoration of the upper-left corner, the sheet is in a very good condition with no significant folds, holes, abrasions, stains or foxing.

I am selling this historically important print executed at the time of the famous battle portrayed (the battle of Rain am Lech,1632), with an alphabetical index showing the tactical manoeuvres of the troops during the battle—for example, at letter “D” at left-of-centre (transl.) “A big smoke underneath the bridge was built” and beside this at letter “E”, “The bridge over the Lech”, and at letter “F” at far right, “Finnish riders like this [and] set through the water”—for the total cost of AU$249 (currently US$193.01/EUR158.67/GBP136.48 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this marvellous Baroque period engraving, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.