Martin Merz was a gun master who lived in the 15th century in modern-day Germany. He worked in the service of Frederick I, the victorious, Elector Palatinate. In 1469, he was the supreme canon master of Frederick’s army and remained in the service of Frederick’s successor, Philip the Upright, Elector Palatine of the Rhine. Between approximately 1460-1480, he created a Feuerwerksbuch. In the artillery book, Merz, who was a specialist in firefighting depicted details of the measures that needed to be taken in the case of a siege.
The images are rather documentarian more than artistic, but impress through their strength, as they convey the power of the machines and event through the attention which goes right down to the smallest detail, as even textures and nails are carefully portrayed.
