Die Eydtgnoschafft,oder das Schwytzerlandt. . .

An antique map of Switzerland and the source of the Rhine, by Sebastian Munster.One of the Earliest Modern Maps of Switzerland. This map is also the first of the 3 sheets maps of the River Rhine. [the second and third sheets are also available in this auction in 'Germany' and 'Netherlands' categories]

Sebastian Münster (1488-1552) was a German geographer, cartographer, hebraist, and theologian, was born in Ingelheim, near Mainz. In 1505, he went to Heidelberg to enter the Franciscan order. In 1507 he went to Louvain, where he studied mathematics, geography, and astronomy. In 1509, Münster became a student of Konrad Pelikan, who taught Hebrew and Greek as well as mathematics and cosmography. In 1518 he completed his studies at the University of Tübingen. He was the favourite of the famous mathematician and astronomer Johann Stöffler.
In 1524, Münster was appointed professor of Hebrew at Heidelberg University. In 1525 he published his first map as part of a broadside: 'The Instrument of the Suns' combining a map, calendar, astrological almanac, sundial, and nocturnal all on one attractive sheet, suitable for wall mounting.
In 1540 he published a Latin edition of Ptolemy's 'Geographia' with illustrations. He based this edition on the Latin translation by Willibald Pirkheimer, and produced new maps to supplement the Ptolemaic maps. The twenty-seven maps of the Ptolemaic canon are supplemented by twenty-one new maps.
Further editions appeared in 1541 and 1542.

In 1544 he published the 'Cosmographia', a bulky book with 659 pages and some 520 woodcuts. Maps in this edition included three maps from the Ptolemaic canon and fourteen modern maps (from previous editions of the 'Geographia'), as well as nine new maps.
Later editions (1545, 1546, 1548) enlarged the 'Cosmographia'. The 1550 edition contains cities, portraits, and costumes. These editions in both Latin and German constitute the full fruition of Münster's dream of a comprehensive geography.
The 'Cosmographia' was one of the most successful works of the 16th century. It passed through 24 editions in 100 years, in different languages, including Latin, French, Italian, English, and even Czech. The last German edition was published in 1628. He died in Basel of the plague in 1552.
As a cartographer, Münster deserves special recognition for formulating a plan for a comprehensive and uniform map of a country. As a geographer, his greatest achievement was the 'Cosmographia' (Karrow).

Reference: Karrow - 58/138; Blumer (Schweiz) - #24