Civitates orbis terrarum: From the renaissance prints of Braun and Hogenberg - Paperback

Matthaus Merian der Altere (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. He was a member of the patrician Basel Merian family. One of the most important draftsman and copperplate engravers and publishers of the 17th century. He first learned the glass painting craft, but soon turned to etching. It has been proved that he was Dietmar Meyer's apprentice in Zurich from 1610, but in 1611 he was already working for the Duke of Lotharingia. From 1612 to 1615 Merian was working for the French court before he returned to Basel. After trips to Swabia, Augsburg and maybe Nuremberg, Merian began to work for Jan Theodor de Bry's (died 1623) publishing company in Oppenheim, and later became his son in-law. Together with de Bry, Merian subsequently worked in Heidelberg for 2 years, before he returned to Basel with his family in 1620.