View of London looking over Southwark to the North, famous panoramic map of Elizabethan London prior to Great Fire of 1666 by Matthaus Merian, 1638 art print poster canvas gift

"View of London looking over Southwark to the North 1638"

A striking panoramic view of London before the Great Fire of 1666, from Gottfried & Merian Neuwe Archontologia Cosmica, engraved by Matthaus Merian the Elder and published in 1638 in Frankfurt, Germany. It is based on 1616 view of London by Claes Jansz Visscher and 1600 Civitas Londini by John Norden. The key to 43 most significant buildings is printed beneath.

Elizabethan London shown as it was around 1600 when the population was around 200.000. The river Thames, the London Bridge and the Southwark Cathedral are in the foreground. Several traitors’ heads on iron spikes are shown atop a tower at the southern gate of London Bridge. On the South Bank in the foreground are the flags of the Shakespeare’s first Globe Theatre, where one of the first plays performed was Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. St Paul’s is over the river to the left.

Matthäus (Matthias) Merian the Elder (22.09.1593 – 19.06.1650) was a leading German illustrator and engraver of the 17th century. He was born in Basel and learned the art of engraving in Zurich, Strasbourg and Paris. In 1618 Merian went to Frankfurt, where he married Maria Magdalena de Bry, a daughter of publisher and Merian’s employer Johann Theodor de Bry. They had seven children including Matthaus Merian the Younger, later a well-known engraver himself. After death of de Bry in 1623, Merian took over his publishing house, which was destroyed by fire in during the Spanish occupation. Merian then moved back to Basel, and soon after to Frankfurt, Germany. Maria Magdalena de Bry died in 1645, and the following year Matthaus married Johanna Sibylla Heim. One of their children was Anna Maria Sibylla Merian, who later became a pioneering naturalist and illustrator. Matthäus Merian the Elder is best known for the series Theatrum Europaeum which he started in 1635, and Topographia Germaniae published after 1642, with over 2000 plates engraved by himself and his sons Matthaus and Caspar. Merian’s town views are famous for their detail and provide extraordinary insight into 16th and 17th century urban life.

This poster is a high quality "giclée" reproduction of a restored antique original, custom-printed on Standard Single-weight Matt Coated art paper 140gsm or  Heavyweight Matt Coated art paper 230gsm (more of a thin card density), or superb Epson Matt Canvas 320gsm, according to your choice. We use the latest UltraChromeHDX pigment inks which guarantee 60 years of colour  permanence (up to 200 years fade-proof for colour prints).  This poster is suitable for mounting and framing, as well as direct display on a wall.

 Please note the XLarge size option print would have white border approximately 2-3mm all around, for a buyer to trim.