1719 Carte Ancienne De La Suisse. . .

This beautiful map of Switzerland (Helvetii), is a splendid example of the science, skills and talent Chatelain brought to his works. The map is double-page copper engraved, in Chatelain’s usual style with the map image in the center and descriptive historical text and imagery surrounding it. It features the various ranges of the Alps, larger lakes, and the names of the peoples who constituted the Old Swiss Confederacy and the Ancien Regime, which lasted from the 14th century till 1798, when subsumed by the French Revolutionary Army and reconstituted as the Helvetic Republic. This engraving provides a detailed account of Swiss history, as well as an impressive inset map of ancient Switzerland. Particular attention is paid to the formation of the Swiss State and to the legend of Swiss patriot William Tell. While historical evidence of Tell is disputed, according to legend he was a peasant from the Canton of Uri who, in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, defied Austrian authority an