Matthäus Merian's map of Pisa: the architectural identity of the Tuscan city in the 17th century

The map of the ancient city of Pisa created by Matthäus Merian represents an extraordinary urban view of the Tuscan city in the 17th century. The work, published in 1640 for the "Itinerarium Italiæ Nov-antiquæ," presents the city from an aerial perspective encompassing the entire urban fabric of Pisa. The depiction includes the fortified walls, city gates, main buildings, squares, and streets, offering a comprehensive view of Pisa’s spatial organization.

The atmosphere conveyed by the work is that of a scientific-artistic document combining topographical accuracy with aesthetic sensitivity. The famous Leaning Tower stands out as one of the focal points of the composition, identified in the explanatory cartouche, while the course of the Arno River winds through the urban landscape, creating a dynamic element that breaks the architectural regularity.

BUY THE REPRODUCTION OF THE "MAP OF THE ANCIENT CITY OF PISA" BY MATTHAUS MERIAN

Style
The work perfectly reflects the tradition of artistic cartography of the early Baroque, a period in which geographic representation achieves a mature synthesis between scientific accuracy and aesthetic quality. Merian’s style reflects the influence of the Northern European engraving schools, particularly the German and Flemish ones, characterized by great attention to detail and a virtuoso technique in the use of the burin. During his travels, Merian learned to draw from a bird’s-eye perspective, a great advantage in his profession at the time, which made his creations a source of great admiration. The stylistic approach combines elements of Nordic realism with the Italian tradition of urban views, creating a visual language that prioritizes informational clarity without sacrificing formal beauty.

Color and lighting
The original map features a sober and refined color palette, dominated by sepia and ochre tones typical of copper engravings of the period, with the use of a delicate green for rural areas and reddish-brown for building roofs. The lighting is conceived according to a uniform logic that avoids strong chiaroscuro contrasts, instead favoring a diffuse brightness that ensures the readability of all represented elements. Shadows are suggested through subtle tonal variations that give volume to the buildings without compromising the clarity of the drawing. The chromatic treatment of the Arno waters, rendered with delicate bluish shades, creates an effective contrast with the surrounding architectural masses and helps to define the urban geography of the city.

Spatial management
Merian is considered one of the great masters of cityscape and a pioneer of axonometric projection, qualities that clearly emerge in the spatial management of this map. Depth is constructed through a skillful dimensional gradation of elements, where buildings in the foreground are depicted with greater detail than those in the background. The aerial perspective, typical of bird’s-eye views, allows the simultaneous inclusion of different spatial planes, from a close-up view of the historic center to the hills surrounding the city.

The distribution of elements in space follows a precise topographical logic, with particular attention to the rendering of distances and relative proportions. The surrounding landscape is treated with increasing synthesis as it moves away from the urban core, creating a natural atmospheric depth effect.

Composition and framing
The composition of the map reveals meticulous framing planning, with Pisa positioned centrally relative to the edges of the representation. The balance of the scene is guaranteed by the harmonious distribution of the main architectural elements, which create a network of focal points spread across the entire surface. The map includes a legend naming various locations, an element that transforms the work into a true urban planning reference tool.

The course of the Arno acts as a unifying element of the composition, creating a serpentine line that diagonally crosses the representation and adds dynamism to the whole. The coat of arms in the upper left corner completes the composition by providing a decorative element that balances the informational density of the rest of the work. The choice of a high viewpoint allows the simultaneous grasp of the urban structure and the landscape context, offering a comprehensive view of the relationship between city and territory.

Technique and materials
The work is made through the copperplate engraving technique, a method representing the pinnacle of artistic printing in the 17th century. Merian learned the art of copperplate engraving in Zurich and perfected his technique during formative stays in various European cities. The support used is high-quality paper of the period, characterized by a fine grain that enhances the sharpness of the engraving marks.

The execution mode involves the use of a burin to draw the main lines and etching for the finer textures and tonal gradations. The copperplate engraving technique allows extraordinary precision in detail and tonal richness ranging from the deep black of contour lines to the softer nuances of transition areas. The influence of this technical choice on the final visual result is decisive: the sharpness of the lines gives the work a documentary precision character, while the richness of surface textures enriches the aesthetic reading of the whole.