Merian, Matthaeus

4to (205 x 164mm.), title within allegorical engraved border, engraved illustrations by Merian, including a reversible portrait showing the sitter alive and dead, contemporary calf, a few deckle edges, N2 and O1-2 repaired without loss, lower corners of pages slightly soiled, small tear on upper cover, binding resewn and repaired with new endpapers

BL STC German, D141; Lipperheide 1961; VD17 23:000339T; Wüthrich, Das druckgraphische Werk von Matthaeus Merian d. Ae., Band 3 (Hamburg, 1993), Totentanz 4

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Merian's depictions of the Dance of Death were copied from the fifteenth-century frescoes on the churchyard wall of the Dominican church in Basel; the frescoes were restored in the early sixteenth century and again in the early seventeenth century. Johann Jakob Merian originally engraved the plates in 1621, after the second restoration, and Matthaeus Merian revised them in 1649 for this edition.

The images provide lively vignettes of contemporary life and costume, from the moneylender at his table to the pedlar with his tray of goods, the artist and the musician, the cardinal and the king.