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Striking map of a portion of Switzerland centered on the Zurich in the middle of the 18th Century, with an inset of the mountainous Sax and Forsteck regions along the Rhine River.
This intricate engraving delineates the topography, hydrography, political domains, and settlements with an extraordinary degree of precision. The map itself is a comprehensive survey of the Zurich canton, a territory integral to Swiss history and development. The craftsmanship of the map reveals not only the geographical features such as the principal communities of Zurich, Winterthur, and Rapperswil, but also the orographic elements, including the imposing peaks of the Swiss Prealps. Rivers, including the prominent Limmat and the lake of Zurich.
Within the decorative cartouche, one finds allegorical figures representing the wealth and authority of the region, embodying the virtues and resources that were believed to be the foundation of the canton's prosperity. The personification of Zurich as a figure bearing a globe implies a cosmopolitan awareness and a reach extending far beyond its borders.
The accompanying set of coats of arms, each meticulously detailed, offers insight into the heraldic identities of the various districts and their noble families. Such insignia communicated status, allegiance, and local pride, and their inclusion here underscores the map's value as a document of social and political history.
Matthäus Seutter (1678-1757) was a prominent German mapmaker in the mid-eighteenth century. Initially apprenticed to a brewer, he trained as an engraver under Johann Baptist Homann in Nuremburg before setting up shop in his native Augsburg. In 1727 he was granted the title Imperial Geographer. His most famous work is Atlas Novus Sive Tabulae Geographicae, published in two volumes ca. 1730, although the majority of his maps are based on earlier work by other cartographers like the Homanns, Delisles, and de Fer.
Alternative spellings: Matthias Seutter, Mathaus Seutter, Matthaeus Seutter, Mattheus Seutter
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