Name/Title
CE 1657 Matheus Merian (1593-1650) Sea Serpents Folio engravingDescription
Serpens Marinus Mari Norvegico familiaris Aldr.: A sea serpent familiar to the Norwegian Sea.
Serpens Marinus flavi Coloris Maris Suedici Aldro: A yellow-colored sea serpent from the Swedish Sea.
Scolopendra Marina Aldro: A "Marine Scolopendra" or sea centipede.
Scolopendra Marina amethystini Coloris Aldr: An amethyst-colored sea centipede.
Serpens Americanus Indicus: An American-Indian serpent.
369 year old folio engraving by Matheus Merian and issued in Jon Jonston's Historia Naturalis..., Published in Amsterdam in 1657.
Matthäus Merian der Ältere (or "Matthew", "the Elder", or "Sr."; 22 September 1593 - 19 June 1650) was a Swiss-born engraver who worked in Frankfurt for most of his career, where he also ran a publishing house.
Born in Basel, Merian learned the art of copperplate engraving in Zürich. He next worked and studied in Strasbourg, Nancy, and Paris, before returning to Basel in 1615. The following year he moved to Frankfurt, Germany where he worked for the publisher Johann Theodor de Bry, who was the son of renowned engraver and traveler Theodor de Bry.
Early in his life, he had created detailed town plans in his unique style, e.g. the plan of Basel (1615). With Martin Zeiler (1589 - 1661), a German geographer, and later (circa 1640) with his own son, Matthäus Merian (der Jüngere, i.e. "the Younger" or "Jr.") (1621 - 1687), he produced a series of Topographia. It includes numerous town plans and views, as well as maps of most countries and a World Map—it was such a popular work. 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.
Condition: Good. Some marginal fingering. Left margin with some edge wear. Please view images closely for overall condition.Create Date
June 27, 2026Update Date
June 27, 2026
