A monumental 18th century wall map of Switzerland on four sheets

One of the first large-scale maps of Switzerland, on a scale of 1/290,000, compiled by Johann Jakob Scheuchzer (1672-1733), a scholar who wrote about the history, geology, paleontology and natural history of the country. He travelled through central and eastern Switzerland between 1702 and 1704, using his observations on this map, improving the accuracy of the eastern section. It remained the best map of the country for the next century. As well as the allegorical title and list of ancient placenames there are illustrations of Scheuchzer's observations, including a waterfall with a corona caused by the spray, a glacier and a ravine as well as mining machinery and peat-cutting. However he also depicts a 'Dragon of Lucerne', which is a blow to his modern credibility as a scientist. These illustrations were by Johann Melchior Füssli (1677-1736), who also illustrated Scheuchzer's 'Helvetiae historia naturalis'). The engravers were Johann Heinrich Huber (1677-1712) and Emanuel Schalk, who probably took over after Huber's death.