Della Germania 416 / Schweiz / Wilhelm Tell

Title

Della Germania 416 / Schweiz / Wilhelm Tell

Description

The front features an illustration of Wilhelm Tell’s famous apple-shot. The reverse side features the coat of arms of the canton of Uri.

ca. 1558

Artist

Münster (1489-1552)

Sebastian Münster (1489–1552) was a leading Renaissance cosmographer. His most famous work, the Cosmographia (1544), was a comprehensive description of the world with 24 maps, based on research dating back to 1528. Continuously revised, the 1550 edition already included many new maps. It was the first scientific yet accessible world description published in German, illustrated with numerous woodcuts by artists such as Hans Holbein the Younger. Between 1544 and 1650, the Cosmographia appeared in 46 editions (27 in German) and was translated into several languages. Münster’s work combined the knowledge of scholars, artists, and travelers and remained influential long after his death.

Historical Description

The bailiff Gessler forced Tell to shoot an apple from his son’s head because he had refused to bow to a hat. Tell successfully hit the apple with his crossbow, but he had prepared a second arrow to kill Gessler if he had harmed his son. This act became a symbol of resistance against oppression and is considered an important part of the Swiss legend of freedom. The apple shot thus represents courage, freedom, and resistance against tyrannical rule.