1642 Merian Panoramic View or Map of Venice, Italy

This is a beautiful full-color example of Matthäus Merian c. 1642 view of Venice at the height of its prosperity. The view looks directly north on Venice from a fictional highpoint in the Adriatic just south of Giudecca. The Piazza San Marco appears at center, with the Grand Canal winding its way through the neighboring islands Murano, Burano, Torcello, and Mazorbo, among others. The harbor is particularly bustling, with ships of all sizes and shapes waiting to dock. The armorial crest of the Republic of Venice appears in the upper right, crowned by the Doge's cap and the winged Lion of Venice at center.

The Bucintoro of Venice

Of particular note, the Doge's barge the Bucintoro or Bucentaur appears prominently in the Canale della Giudecca.. Styled like an ancient Greek trireme, the Bucintoro was the Doge's state ship. Covered in gold leaf, loaded down with statues, crystal and velvet drapes and powered by 168 oarsmen, its only function, according to Goethe, 'was to show to the people their princes in all their magnificence'. The first version of the Bucintoro was built in 1311, with subsequent versions being rebuilt several times over the centuries. The ship shown here, is the Bucintoro of 1606, the third iteration built for the Doge Marino Grimani (1532 - 1605). The Bucintoro was primarily used for the annual Sposalizio del Mare, in which the Doge is symbolically married to Adriatic.

Publication History and Census

This view was first issued in Frankfurt in 1635. Later states of the map exhibit wear to the plate. There were multiple reissues of this map, with some examples dating as late as 1815. The present examples is c. 1642. This appears in 3 different works by Merian, the Theatrum Europaeum, Archontologia Cosmica, and Topographia Italiae. All went through multiple editions well past Merian's lifetime.