Scheuchzer (1672-1733) was born in Switzerland; the son of a physician. He studied in Germany and returned to Switzerland as a professor of mathematics. Along with many other scientists of his day, Scheuchzer believed in the Old Testament as a literal history of the earth. He developed a complicated and elaborate theory of this history that he detailed in his magnum opus Physica Sacra, which was published simultaneously in Latin and German in 1728. The copious illustrations each reference a specific book, chapter and verse of the Old Testament as written in the 1611 edition of the King James Bible. The finely done copperplates are both highly detailed and decorative. Originally issued in black and white, the hand coloring was done later. Size (in): 16.5 x 10
