Monatsbild Januar, oben rechts das Zeichen des Wassermanns c. 1622

"Monatsbild Januar, oben rechts das Zeichen des Wassermanns" (Monthly Picture January, with the sign of Aquarius in the upper right corner) is a pen and ink drawing by Matthäus Merian the Elder, created around 1622. This detailed depiction of a winter scene, likely in the region of Basel, Switzerland, captures the cold, snow-covered landscape. The artist's use of shading and hatching beautifully conveys the texture of snow and ice, while the composition focuses on a village nestled beneath a ruined castle, symbolizing the transition from the old to the new.