Title:

Carte ancienne de la Suisse avec des remarques abregees sur les divers evenemens et revolution qui y sont arrivees et particulierement celles qui ont donne lieu a leur liberte

Description:

This folio sheet depicts a map of Switzerland and identifies the ancient tribes in Roman times. In the lower part of the sheet are a series of pictures highlighting key moments in the legend of William Tell i.e. 1. depict the pole with the Austrian governor's (Gessler) hat perched upon it. Everyone passing by were expected to bow to it. William Tell and his son refused to do so, 2. Tell and his son were captured and in lieu of execdution Gessler agreed to set them free, on condition that William Tell shot an apple off the head of his son, 3. Gessler noticed that William Tell had selected two bolts for his crossbow and when asked why William Tell replied that the second one was earmarked for Gessler had he killed his son, 3. William Tell ws bound and put on board a boat and was to be imprisoned in Gessler castle at Kussnacht for his impertinence. During the trip across lake Lucerne a storm broke and the guards unbound William Tell's hands, so that he could help them steer the boat. Taking advantage of the situation Tell leaped into the water at a spot now known as Tellsplatte, 4. William Tell made his way across the mountains to Kussnacht and assasinated Gessler as the governor at a place now know as Hohle Gasse, 5. Depicts the 'Eternal Alliance of the Forest Cantons' and the foundation of the Swiss Confederation, which modern research indicates might have been at the begining of the 14th century i.e. precisely at the time of the William Tell legend.

Publication: Atlas Historique, ou nouvelle introduction a l'histoire, a la chronologie & a la geographie ancienne & moderne. A Amersterdam, chez L'Hoinore & Chatelain Libraires. Author: Chatelain. H,. Vol. 1, publ. 1721

Cartographer: Henri Abraham Chatelain (1684 - 1743) was a Huguenot pastor of Parisian origins. He lived consecutively in Paris, St. Martins, London (c. 1710), The Hague (c. 1721) and Amsterdam (c. 1728). He is best known as a Dutch cartographer and more specifically for his cartographic contribution in the seminal seven volume Atlas Historique, published in Amsterdam between 1705 and 1720. Innovative for its time, the Atlas Historique combined fine engraving and artwork with scholarly studies of geography, history, ethnology, heraldry, and cosmography. Some scholarship suggests that the Atlas Historique was not exclusively compiled by Henri Chatelain, as is commonly believed, but rather was a family enterprise involving Henri, his father Zacharie (d.1723) and his brother, also Zacharie (1690 – 1754). They worked as a partnership publishing the Atlas under several different Chatelain imprints, depending on the Chatelain family partnerships at the time of publication. The atlas was published in seven volumes between 1705 and 1720, with a second edition appearing in 1732. The maps were accompanied by information pertaining to cosmography, geography, history, chronology, genealogy, topography, heraldry, and costume of the world. The images incorporated into the plates and tables were drawn from the best available contemporary sources, including the works of Dapper, Chardin, de Bruyn and Le Hay. Many of the maps are based on the work of Guillaume de l'Lisle.

Condition: Very good. The sheet is evenly aged toned, commensurate with its age. Folds as issued. Blank verso. If there are minor tears they have been mended with archival tissue. The attached photo is part of the item description, please examine carefully.

Color: Uncoloured

Size (h x w): 44.0 x 52.5 cm. (Sheet)

Technique: copper-plate engraving.

Ref: JJB2400