In the 18th century, handwritten guild manuscripts were gradually replaced by reproduceable, embellished documents. This particular master certificate, with its meticulously prepared frame and accuracy of details, is a remarkable example of the period’s printed papers. The inscription at the bottom of the page in a frame reads:
„Aufgenommen und gezeichnet worden von Carl Schuberth Zeichenmeister” along with the date (1808) divided into two parts, printed on either side. The richly ornamented frame has sections with ledges and familiar motifs from late Baroque and Classical architecture. In the centre of the upper section, is the crowned coat-of-arm of the Habsburg dynasty ornamented with palm leaves. In the neck of the two-headed eagle, bearing the initials of Franz I Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, hangs the Order of the Golden Fleece. The inscription below says: „Kön.[igliche] Fr.[eistadt] GÜNSZ. [free royal town, Kőszeg]; in the left-hand corner we can see the coat-of-arm of the Kingdom of Hungary and, in the right, that of Kőszeg.

This landscape illustrated with the imperial coat-of-arm is an extraordinary one and is assumed to symbolise the citizens’ traditional loyalty to the Habsburg dynasty. The maker of the master certificate, Carl Schuberth, was a qualified engineer who arrived in Kőszeg after his graduation from the Academy in Vienna. He worked as a teacher at the previously founded drawing school and he also functioned as the town’s chief architect.
The etching shows the town of Kőszeg against the backdrop of mountains in the west. Besides its wholly symmetric arrangement, the etching is also praised for its authenticity in terms of all the small details captured in the image. Therefore, the etching is not only valuable from an art historical perspective but also an important source for historians and architects.