Matthaeus Greuter (1564–1638), known in Italian asMatteo Greuter, was a German etcher and engraver who worked in Rome. He is known for his cartographical prints.
Born in Strasbourg, Greuter worked in France, in Avignon and Lyon. Apparently to escape the "strong intellectual and commercial pressure of Dutch cartographic publishing",[1] in 1606, he went to Rome where he produced works for CardinalScipione Borghese,Pope Paul V, for the Accademia dei Lincei, andPope Urban VIII.[2] He created the copperplate etchings of sunspots forGalileo'sLetters on Sunspots and the illustrations forChristoph Scheiner'sRosa Ursina.[3]
Greuter is best known for his plans and maps. He created architectural prints depictingVilla Mondragone,Villa Parisi and other notable buildings. He also produced a large number of maps, most notably those designed to be used for globes. His first globe map of the world was created in 1632 and was dedicated to Jacobo Boncompagno. It was based on an earlier globe byWillem Blaeu. The inclusion ofHokkaido indicates that he updated the design to take account of new discoveries, as the island was not known to Blaeu, but was documented by another map maker in Rome.[1] He made a "celestial globe" depicting the constellations in 1635, also based on Blaeu, who had used the data ofTycho Brahe. He appears to have updated the globe later. He also designed reduced-size globes between 1636 and 1638.[1]
Other works were book frontispieces, portraits and allegorical designs.[2] His satirical print of "Doctor Wurmbrandt" purging human follies was later adapted byMartin Droeshout.[4]
