Mérian Le Jeune - Château de Marcoussy

Chateau de Marcoussy, undated, 17th century
Copper engraving by Merian The Younger.
Engraving taken from the work: Topographia Galliæ

Matthäus Merian, known as the Younger, is a Swiss painter and engraver born in Basel in 1621, died in Frankfurt am Main in 1687. After the death of his father, the famous Matthaeus Mérian, his son Matthaeus Merian the Younger took over his work Topographia and added other volumes until 1688 with the description of other places in Europe, in particular in France, Italy and Crete. The complete work ultimately includes 92 maps and 1,486 copper engravings with 2,142 views of cities, towns, localities, castles, and cloisters spread over 30 volumes. It also includes numerous city plans and maps as well as a world map. The Topographia thus constitutes the greatest published work of its time. The views reproduced very accurately by Merian are exemplary in terms of perspective and they often constitute the oldest reliable documents in the form of copper engravings and etchings of the places in question.

Montagu Castle (Château de Marcoussis) is a ruined castle located in the French commune of Marcoussis, in the Hurepoix country in the current department of Essonne and the Île-de-France region twenty-six kilometers south- west of Paris. it was destroyed during the French Revolution.