Plan de Mérian
Encyclopedia
The plan de Mérian is a "bird's eye view
" map
of Paris, France, in direction of east
, with perspective
created in 1615. It was drawn on two sheets of paper each measuring 51 by 38 cm.
At the top, a banner with the title: "LE PLAN DE LA VILLE, CITE, VNIVERSITE ET FAVX-BOVRGS DE PARIS AVEC LA DESCRIPTION DE SON ANTIQVITE ET SINGVLIARITES" ("Map of the town, city, university and suburbs with the description of its antiquity and particularities").
On the upper left, between the Château de Vincennes
and the Marets du Temple, is the coat of arms
of Paris (a ship on a river) surrounded by a crown of laural leaves. And next the coat of arms of France and Navarre
, encircled by the necklace of the order of the Holy Spirit
. In the lower left, beneath the farm of the Grange Batellière, one can read these four lines of verse:
Cette ville est un autre monde
Dedans, un monde florissant,
En peuples et en biens puissants
Qui de toutes choses abonde.
This city is another world
Therein a flowerful world,
Of people very powerful
To whom all things abound.
On the right of the poem is inscribed the name of the author of the map: Matheus Merian Basiliensis fecit ("fecit" = "did" in Latin
).
At the bottom of the map, there is an ornament with a large compass rose
placed in the middle of the River Seine.
The Plan de Merian was often counterfeit
ted. It was one of the best maps of Paris during the first half of the 17th century.
Bird's Eye View
"Bird's Eye View" is a single by Oakland Hip Hop group Zion I, released in 2005 on Live Up Records. The single was the first released from their third album True & Livin. The song, like Common's classic "I Used to Love H.E.R.", addresses the state of Hip Hop by comparing the culture to a woman. The...
" map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
of Paris, France, in direction of east
East
East is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.East is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of west and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the right side of a map is east....
, with perspective
Perspective
- Literally, in visual topics :* Perspective , the way in which objects appear to the eye.* Perspective , representing the effects of visual perspective in graphic arts- Metaphorically, in relation to cognitive topics :...
created in 1615. It was drawn on two sheets of paper each measuring 51 by 38 cm.
At the top, a banner with the title: "LE PLAN DE LA VILLE, CITE, VNIVERSITE ET FAVX-BOVRGS DE PARIS AVEC LA DESCRIPTION DE SON ANTIQVITE ET SINGVLIARITES" ("Map of the town, city, university and suburbs with the description of its antiquity and particularities").
On the upper left, between the Château de Vincennes
Château de Vincennes
The Château de Vincennes is a massive 14th and 17th century French royal castle in the town of Vincennes, to the east of Paris, now a suburb of the metropolis.-History:...
and the Marets du Temple, is the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Paris (a ship on a river) surrounded by a crown of laural leaves. And next the coat of arms of France and Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, encircled by the necklace of the order of the Holy Spirit
Order of the Holy Spirit
The Order of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit, was an Order of Chivalry under the French Monarchy. It should not be confused with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost or with the Order of the Holy Ghost...
. In the lower left, beneath the farm of the Grange Batellière, one can read these four lines of verse:
Cette ville est un autre monde
Dedans, un monde florissant,
En peuples et en biens puissants
Qui de toutes choses abonde.
This city is another world
Therein a flowerful world,
Of people very powerful
To whom all things abound.
On the right of the poem is inscribed the name of the author of the map: Matheus Merian Basiliensis fecit ("fecit" = "did" in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
).
At the bottom of the map, there is an ornament with a large compass rose
Compass rose
A compass rose, sometimes called a windrose, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions — North, East, South and West - and their intermediate points. It is also the term for the graduated markings found on the traditional...
placed in the middle of the River Seine.
The Plan de Merian was often counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
ted. It was one of the best maps of Paris during the first half of the 17th century.