Caspar Merian, “Gratianopolis. Grenoble”, published 1663

Caspar Merian (1627–1686)

“Gratianopolis. Grenoble” — The Panoramic City View, published 1663

Note that “Gratianopolis” shown in the title banner is the ancient Roman name for modern Grenoble, France.

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching with engraving on fine laid paper, trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline with the vertical division of publication professionally stabilised and backed with a supportive, archival-quality sheet of Japanese washi paper.

This is an historically important 17th-century view of the French city of Grenoble, offering the primary panorama from the original folio page, clean-trimmed away from the lower architectural insets. The image is inscribed with a numbered legend at lower-centre composed by Martin Zeiller (1589-1661) identifying key buildings and sites within the city and locations in the surrounding landscape. It was printed by Jacob van Meurs (active circa 1651–80) and published in Amsterdam in the first Dutch-language edition (1663) by the widow of Joost Broersz and Caspar Merian as an illustration to the final volume of the four-volume atlas: “Topographia Galliae dat is eene algemeene en bysondere naukeurige lant en plaets beschrivinge, vant machtige Koninckrijck Vranckrijck ... Amsterdam: By de Weduw van Ioost Broersz en Casper Meriaen, 1660-1663” (translation: “Topographia Galliae that is a general and particular accurate description of the land and place of the mighty Kingdom of France ... Amsterdam : By the Widow of Ioost Broersz and Casper Meriaen, 1660-1663”).

The impression is strong, crisp, and evenly printed, but showing minor signs of wear to the printing plate and with a fine printer’s crease at left. The sheet is in excellent condition for its wide dimension and considerable age, remaining free of tears, holes, or stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 13.2 x 47.6 cm
• Inner image borderline: 12 x 46.7 cm

In-Plate lettering:

• Upper centre: “GRATIANOPOLIS. GRENOBLE.”
• Lower centre: legend of numbered locations in the image 1–14 “1. Porte de France. … 14.la Riuiere d’Isere.”

References:

• David Rumsey Art Collection: a marvellous detailed description of this print and the associated plates— https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~312966~90082078:V--4--Gratianopolis--Grenoble (see also via Archive.org— https://archive.org/details/dr_gratianopolis-grenoble-insets-perspective-dune-partie-de-grenoble--13088338

Price & Shipping:

AU$244 (approx. US$175.06 / €149.90 / £128.27, subject to daily exchange rates). Price includes worldwide express shipping. Please note that destination import duties and local taxes remain the sole responsibility of the buyer.

If you’re interested in this historically significant and detailed 17th-century panoramic view of the city of Grenoble—one of the earliest and most comprehensive visual records of the region’s architecture and topography—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

Caspar Merian, “Ambt Zechlin”, circa 1652

Caspar Merian (1627–1686) — Son of Matthäus Merian the Elder

“Ambt Zechlin” circa 1652— An historic 17th-century administrative district and princely estate located within the Margraviate of Brandenburg, Germany, approximately 75 km northwest of Berlin (see Rheinsberg – Wikipedia). Today, the area is part of the town of Rheinsberg (Rheinsberg – Wikipedia).

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on laid paper with wide margins as issued. The sheet retains the vertical centrefold of the first edition, published in 1652 by the heirs of Matthäus Merian the Elder (1593–1650), between pages 124 and 125 in “Topographia Electorat Brandenburgici et Ducatus Pomeraniae” (see: https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.012564/page/n191/mode/2up).

The impression is strong, crisp, and evenly printed, reflecting the quality of line work typical of a lifetime impression. It shows minimal signs of wear to the printing plate. Aside from a supported closed tear in the centrefold, minor holes, and surface marks, the sheet is in excellent condition considering its age.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 33.5 x 39.1 cm
• Platemark: 23.6 x 36.5 cm
• Outer image borderline: 23.2 x 26.2 cm

In-Plate Lettering:

• Upper centre: “Ambt Zechlin”
• Lower left: “Casp: Merian / fecit.”

Price & Shipping:

AU$244 (approximately US$169.49 / €148.27 / £126.69), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in this historically significant and detailed 17th-century panoramic view of Ambt Zechlin—one of the earliest and most comprehensive visual records of the region’s architecture and lake topography—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

This print has been sold

Caspar Merian, “Statt Gransee”, c. 1652

Caspar Merian (1627–1686)

“Statt Gransee,” c. 1652— A panoramic view of the historic fortified city of Gransee in Brandenburg, Germany, located approximately 55 km northwest of Berlin.

This engraving is of significant historical importance, as it documents Gransee’s medieval character and original fortifications before the devastating Great Fire of 1711. 

Principal landmarks (identified in the index at right):

• Die Kirche (A) – St. Marien Gothic parish church with its iconic twin towers
• Die Schule (B) – The Latin School, a centre of post-Reformation education lost in the 1711 fire
• Das Rathaus (C)— The Town Hall, symbolising the city's civic status
• Lindawsche Thor (D) – The Lindow Gate, pointing west; dismantled in the 19th century
• Zodenicksche Thor (E) – The Zehdenick Gate, the eastern exit toward the Havel River

Technical Details & Condition:

Etching on laid paper with partial watermark—resembling the fletching of an arrow, consistent with paper used by the Merian workshop—and small margins. The sheet retains the original vertical centrefold as issued, now flattened with the fold lightly replenished and supported with tissue-thin (Kozo) washi paper. 

This etching is the lower plate of two printed on the same sheet facing page 57 in Matthäus Merian the Elder’s (1593–1650) “Topographia Electorat Brandenburgici et Ducatus Pomeraniae,” first published circa 1652 (see here: https://archive.org/details/dbc.wroc.pl.012564/page/n95/mode/2up). This impression is from the 1700 edition.

The impression is strong and well-printed. The sheet is in near pristine condition for its age—free of tears, holes, or significant stains.

Dimensions:

• Sheet: 16.5 x 42 cm
• Platemark: 14.9 x 39.1 cm
• Outer image borderline: 14.5 x 38.7 cm

Plate Lettering:

• Upper centre: “Statt Gransee”
• Upper right (legend of sites lettered in image): “A. Die Kirche. / B. Die Schule. / C. Das Rathaus. / D. Lindawsche Thor. / E. Zodenicksche Thor.”
• Lower edge at centre: “C.M f”

Price & Shipping:

AU$244 (approximately US$171.51 / €149.78 / £129.38), including worldwide express shipping. Import duties and taxes (if any) are the buyer’s responsibility.

If you’re interested in this historically significant and spectacular 17th-century panoramic view of Gransee—created before the Great Fire of 1711—please contact me at oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com. I’ll gladly provide a secure PayPal invoice for a seamless purchase.

This print has been sold