Frankfurt am Main, Merian 1631.

Original copperplate engraving on full text sheet. Printed on the front and back. -- Sheet dimensions: approx. 36x22cm. -- partly with narrow margins on the right, with a small edge tear on the lower outer edge, otherwise in good condition. || Original copper engraving; on the complete text page. Printed on recto and verso. -- margin partly narrower on the right, with a small marginal tear on the lower outer margin, otherwise in good condition. || This engraving comes from "New World and American Histories...", a richly illustrated travel account by Johann Ludwig Gottfried. This particular piece is from the first edition, published in Frankfurt am Main in 1631 by the renowned published and engraver Matthaeus Merian. The work played a significant role in shaping European perceptions of the Americas, offering detailed descriptions of the landscapes, islands, kingdoms, provinces, and coastlines of the New World. Johann Ludwig Gottfried (1584-1633), a German publisher, took over the publishing house of Theodor de Bry and later issued this work. De Bry had originally obtained artwork and accounts from both French and English colonial expeditions in the late 16th century. Artists such as Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues and John White documented their experiences, and de Bry transformed their illustrations into copperplate engravings. Gottfried continued this legacy, incorporating these engravings along with new illustrations based on textual descriptionssometimes leading to the inclusion of fantastical elements like mermaids and dragons. Merian also contributed by re-engraving or replacing plates that had been worn over time, while Gottfried oversaw the editing and translation. Scholar Borba de Moraes described this work as an "important and magnificent work" that remains highly sought after, rare, and valuable. Historian Michiel van Groesen further praised it in "America Abridged", by calling it "the apotheosis of the collection of voyages to the New World." ||

Order number: 329877