Topographia Galliae
The cities and architecture of France in the time of Louis XIII. 325 superb views of towns and castles engraved by Merian.
“This collection deserves to retain a place in major libraries because Merian's plates are a faithful representation of things as they existed at the time the author published his book” (Brunet, V, 1530).
4 folio volumes, ivory vellum, double cold-tooled fillet frame with corner fleurons on the covers, large lozenge-shaped fleuron in the center, raised bands on the spine decorated with cold-tooled fillets, one hinge fragile. Contemporary publisher’s binding.
330 x 215 mm.
Zeiller, Martin and Merian, Caspar. Topographia Galliae. (The Topography of France).
Amsterdam, Caspar Merian, 1660-1663.
First edition published in Holland of Merian's famous topography of France, renowned for its faithful depiction of the cities of the period.
Brunet V. 1530.
Complete, it is adorned with 4 frontispieces, 18 maps, and 307 plates by Merian, some of them folding.
Martin Zeiller, a German geographer (1589-1661), settled in Ulm and undertook to publish a vast geographical and topographical collection depicting, through thousands of engravings, the state of the world's cities in the mid-17th century.
Associated in this endeavor with the Merians, famous German engravers, he published in Frankfurt the Theatrum Europaeum, the last volume of which appeared in 1672.
The Topographia Gallia, here fully complete, belongs to this vast collection, of which only separate parts are now found.
All these highly attractive engravings, brought to life against an architectural backdrop, offer a complete and faithful image of France under Louis XIII.
Town, boroughs, castles, and landscapes are depicted here “naturally” and fully justify the fame of this fine work.
The engravings devoted to Paris and its monuments as well as the châteaux of Touraine and Ile de France are particularly aesthetic.
Very fine engravings are devoted to many cities of France, such as Nantes, St Malo, Concarneau, la Charité, Montpellier, Orange, Marseille, Pezenas, Dijon, etc.
Folding, large-format and particularly elegant engravings are dedicated to Rouen, Bordeaux, and Nevers.
Superb copy, bound in 4 beautiful volumes, of the most attractive and the largest work devoted to the status of the cities and the civil and religious architecture of France under King Louis XIII.
With wide margins, it retains its charming contemporary blind-tooled vellum bindings.
