An original antique map of Pisa, engraved by Matthias Merian and It was first published in 1638 for "Itinerarium Italiæ Nov-antiquæ". It presents the city from an aerial perspective and includes the fortified walls, city gates, main buildings, squares, and streets, offering a comprehensive view of Pisa’s spatial organization. The atmosphere conveyed by the work is that of a scientific-artistic document combining topographical accuracy with aesthetic sensitivity. The famous Leaning Tower stands out as one of the focal points of the composition.
It represents an extraordinary urban view of the Tuscan city in the 17th century and the atmosphere conveyed by the work is that of a scientific-artistic document combining topographical accuracy with aesthetic sensitivity. The famous Leaning Tower stands out as one of the focal points of the composition, identified in the explanatory cartouche, while the course of the Arno River winds through the urban landscape, creating a dynamic element that breaks the architectural regularity.
Merian is considered one of the great masters of cityscape and a pioneer of axonometric projection, qualities that clearly emerge in the spatial management of this map. The aerial perspective, typical of bird’s-eye views, a technique developed and used extensively by Merian, allows the simultaneous inclusion of different spatial planes, from a close-up view of the centre to the hills surrounding the city.
Matthäus Merian, the leading German illustrator of the 17th century, was born in Basel in 1593. He learned the art of copperplate engraving in Zurich and subsequently worked and studied in Strasbourg, Nancy, Paris, and the Low Countries. In 1618 he went to Frankfurt, wherein in 1618, he married the eldest daughter of J.T. de Bry, publisher and engraver. After de Bry died in 1623, he took over his business. De Bry’s business remained in Merian’s family until 1726, when a fire destroyed it.
In 1635 he began the series “Theatrum Europaeum”. Between 1642 and 1688, he published Martin Zeiller’s “Topographia Germaniae”, with more than 2,000 plates etched and engraved by himself and his sons Matthäus and Caspar.
He also took over and completed the later parts and editions of the Grand Voyages and Petits Voyages, initially started by de Bry in 1590.
