Maps > Asia & Pacific (32 items)
 
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ALLARD, Carel (1648-1709)

[Asia] Exactissima Asiæ Delineatio, in Præcipuas Regiones, Cæterasq[ue] Partes divisa...

Amsterdam: Allard, c. 1703. Engraved with full period colour. Cartouche after Phillip Tideman (1657-1702). Image size (including text): 19 5/8 x 23 1/8 inches. Sheet size: 21 x 25 inches.

This masterful map of Asia represented a vast amount of recently gleaned geographical knowledge. The difference between the European conception of Asia in 1600 and that of 1700 is remarkable. As one would expect, the first improvements were coastal. The configurations of Japan, China, the East Indies and Indochina had vastly improved, and in some cases (China for example) accurate knowledge of the interior was being pieced together. In the case of China, this geographical understanding derived primarily from existing Chinese maps to which the Jesuits were given access.

The most recent new Asiatic knowledge came from Nicolas Witsen, prominent politician, acquaintance of Peter the Great, and maker of a map of Siberia, incorporated here. Witsen is credited in the map.

The topography of mountain ranges and forests and the lettering are beautifully engraved, and the whole continent is depicted with great clarity, as is characteristic of all Allard's maps.

The cartouche, drawn by Philip Tideman and again, beautifully engraved, shows an Asian potentate before whom Asian artworks, products, exotic animals and flowers are displayed.

Koeman, Al. 10

#20694$2,750.00
 
 
ARROWSMITH, John (1790-1873)

[Tasmania] Van Diemens Land

London: John Arrowsmith, February 15, 1842 [issued 1850]. Copper-engraved map, with original outline colour. Sheet size: 25 1/4 x 21 1/2 inches.

A very fine map of Tasmania, depicting the island during an especially fascinating period in its settlement, by one of the great London mapmakers

From the London Atlas, Jan. 1, 1850. Van Diemans Land became Tasmania in 1853, at the same time its last shipment of convicts arrived from England. Abel Tasman (1609? - 1659), a Dutch navigator, discovered the island in 1642 and named it Van Diemans Land.

Arrowsmith's map is characteristically handsome and intriguing, being copied from manuscript surveys. Vast portions of the island remained to be surveyed and continued to be for a very long time thereafter.

Tooley,The Printed Maps of Tasmania, 78; Printed Maps of Australia, 119.

#4152$2,500.00
 
 
ARROWSMITH, John (1790-1873)

The Maritime Portion of South Australia, from Capt. Flinders & from more recent surveys made by the Surv'r. Gen'l [Coastal chart of South Australia]

London: John Arrowsmith, Feb. 5, 1840. Engraved, with period outline colour. Discoloration at centerfold. Paper toned overall. Plate mark: 20 1/4 x 25 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 21 3/4 x 25 1/8 inches.

John Arrowsmith's greatest contributions to cartography were primarily in his maps of Australia and of South Africa.

This interesting chart of the southern coast from Discovery Bay to Fowler Bay is the third edition of the map, in which a number of details have been corrected or added since the first issue two years before. There are 4 inset charts: the Gulf of St. Vincent; The City of Adelaide with the Acre Allotments; Nepean Bay and Kingscote Harbour; and Encounter Bay. The chart includes depth soundings for the entire stretch of coast and would have been an immense help to navigators.

John Arrowsmith was the nephew of Aaron Arrowsmith, who founded the firm in 1790 after having been a surveyor for several prominent map publishers. The Arrowsmith company established a very strong reputation for reliability and high quality in map production. After Aaron's death, John was the prime mover in maintaining the standards of the firm, constantly revising and augmenting maps with new discoveries.

Tooley, The Mapping of Australia, 110.

#4150$2,500.00
 
 
BELLIN, Jacques Nicolas (1703-72)

[North Pacific] Carte Réduite de L'Ocean Septentrional compris entre l'Asie et l'Amerique suivant les Decouvertes qui ont été faites par les Russes...

Paris: J. N. Bellin, 1766. Copper-engraved map, in very good condition. Sheet size: 25 1/3 x 37 1/8 inches.

A fascinating map of the North Pacific shown just before the voyages of Cook, by Bellin, the esteemed French Royal hydrographer, present here in the first state

This extremely interesting and finely engraved large map depicts the northern Pacific Ocean, and adjacent coasts during an early stage in its exploration, after the first wave of great Russian explorers but just before the momentous voyages of Captain James Cook. The map embraces a vast expanse from north of the 35th parallel, from Japan to California. The map shows the tracks of the Russian voyages of Bering and his deputy Aleksei Chirikov conducted from 1728-43 that first defined eastern Siberia and touched upon the American northwest. Save the imaginary bulge on the north coast of the Chuckchi Peninsula, the coasts of Siberia are extremely well-defined, attesting to Bering's enormous talent as a cartographer. Japan, whose rulers were known to be especially unwelcoming to foreign explorers, is not well understood, such that its large northernmost island, Hokkaido, does not appear at all on the map.

It is perhaps Bellin's depiction of North America that is most intriguing. It shows how Bering and Chirikov touched on various points of the Aleutians and sighted Mount St. Elias, the 18,000 ft. peak located near the top of the Alaska panhandle. The Pacific northwest immediately south of that point is entirely conjectural noting apocryphal discoveries such as the 'River of the King's' encountered by the Spanish Admiral de Fuente in 1640, and the Strait of Juan De Fuca, discovered in 1592. Although the latter body of water does exist, it was probably first encountered by Europeans in the 1770s. Bellin does, however, note Sir Francis Drake's actual discovery of 'Nouvelle Albion' (northern California) in 1578. The map optimistically shows a land route across the continent to the Pacific, decades before any such endeavor was embarked upon. The mapping of the heart of North America is also most curious, as it shows the Red River system, which in reality flows towards Hudson's Bay, as being connected to the Mississippi Basin. The map is elegantly traversed by rhumb lines and the composition is completed by an exquisite rococo title cartouche.

This map was part of the l'Hydrographie Française, a great sea atlas, published by Bellin in two volumes from 1755 to 1766. This was one of the finest works of the prolific Bellin, the "Hydrographer to the King", who was so highly regarded that the British (who were almost always at war with France) made him a member of their Royal Society.

Kershaw, Early Maps of Canada IV, 1125, plate 879; Wagner, Cartography of the Northwest Coast of America, 610

#19716$2,750.00
 
 
BLAEU, Willem (1571-1638) and Jan BLAEU (1598-1673)

Asia noviter delineata

Amsterdam: Blaeu, [circa 1647]. Copper-engraved map, with original colour. German text on verso. Sheet size: 16 1/2 x 22 1/2 inches.

A highly decorative map of an area of utmost importance to the prosperity of the 17th-century Netherlands.

Of all the Amsterdam map publishers, the Blaeus were the most attentive to their public. The constantly growing index of maps and the perpetually high quality of presentation through 65 years of operation suggest a strong understanding of and commitment to a large, educated audience. Both father and son were official mapmakers to the Dutch East India Company which to a large degree funded the Dutch Golden Age. Their work is one of the emblems of that fascinating era.

The pioneering ships that set sail from Portugal and Spain in early Renaissance days to gather the wealth of the Orient were compelled by the Muslim and Italians to travel south and west in order to reach their destinations. the vessels of the more northern maritime powers followed soon after, particularly the Dutch and British. The effects of these voyages changed the history and character of mankind. Every single culture on earth was changed by the European explorations and intrusions, including Europe's. This great 17th century map of Asia captures a moment in this vast transformation.

The Portuguese had touched India in 1499, Canton in 1516, Beijing in 1520 and Japan in 1542. The first Dutch expedition to Java set out from the Cape of Good Hope in 1595 and, in the wake of many more Dutch merchantmen, the Dutch East India Company was formed in 1602. Portugal, governed then by Spain, was unable to prevent the Dutch from establishing trading posts and forts in strategic locations throughout the Far East. First issued separately in 1617, Willem Blaeu's map emphasizes and reflects the particularly Dutch interests: the Malaysian peninsula, Indonesia, Sri Lanka (rich in pearls), Canton and Japan. In all of these as the century progressed, the current of events seemed to be raising the Dutch to the top. It was at the same time the zenith of Dutch cartography.

The side panels depict ten pairs of the vastly diverse Asian population: from Tartars to Javanese, Armenians to Moluccans. The city-harbor views in the top panel are: Candy (Kandy), Calecuth (Calcutta), Goa, Damascus, Jerusalem, Ormus (Staits of Hormuz between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf), Bantam, Aden and Macao.

Bricker and Tooley, Landmarks of Mapmaking p. 118-130; Goss. Blaeu's ... Grand Atlas, p. 190; Parry, The Cartography of the East Indian Islands p. 82-85; Van der Krogt 2:232.

#21116$6,500.00
 
 
BOWLES

[Asia] Bowles's New One-Sheet Map of Asia, Divided into its Empires, Kingdoms, States, and other Subdivisions; laid down from Observations of the most Celebrated Geographers.

London: Bowles and Carver, 1794. Engraved with period colour. Wove paper, watermarked twice: "J. Whatman 1794". Image size (including text): 19 x 22 1/8 inches. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 30 inches.

A large, 18th century English map of Asia

This interesting map of Asia published by Bowles & Carver, successors to Carington Bowles, shows the last eastward conquests of the Russian Asian Empire, Chukchi and Kamchatka at the Bering Strait, as well as many other refinements and improvements.

There is a "Methodical Division of Asia" in the lower left, a chart that lays out the constituent parts of the major political entities: Russia, Tartary, Turkey, Arabia, Persia, India and China. It also lists the major island groups.

#12715$1,750.00
 
 
DE L'ISLE, Guillaume and COVENS & MORTIER

[India] Carte des Côtes de Malabar et de Coromandel Presentée au Roy...

Amsterdam: Covens & Mortier, [1742]. Engraving with period outline colour. Some mild soiling. Mild discolouration at centerfold. . Image size (including text): 19 1/4 x 22 1/4 inches. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 25 3/4 inches.

A richly detailed map of southern India by one of the greatest French mapmakers

Guillaume de l'Isle (1675-1726) was the son of a cartographer and pupil of Jean Dominique Cassini, who, among other important contributions, aligned the study of astronomy to the study of geography. Under Cassini's direction, observations were made from locations all over the world that enabled longitudinal calculations to be made with much greater accuracy. De l'Isle carried on this exacting work with remarkable dedication and integrity, constantly revising and improving his maps. While precision was his primary goal, his maps are invariably elegant and attractive.

Jean (Johannes) Covens and Corneille (Cornelius) Mortier were brothers-in-law, who carried on the book publishing business established by Pierre Mortier in Amsterdam in 1685. Pierre Mortier's company owed much of its success to his access to French publishers, whose publications he re-issued in handsome editions.The elder Mortier died in 1711; his wife continued the firm until she died in 1719. In 1721, Covens and Mortier formed a partnership, Covens having married Agatha Mortier in the same year. They continued the business by publishing enlarged editions of Sanson, Jaillot, and De L'Isle, as well as some of the later Dutch cartographical masters such as De Wit and Allard, and of course Pierre Mortier.

This map is from an edition of De L'Isle entitled, Atlas Nouveau, Contenant Toutes Les Parties Du Monde, Ou sont exactement Remarquées les Empires, Monarchies, Royaumes, Etats, Republiques &c. Par Guillaume de l'Isle. Premier Géographe de sa Majesté. It delineates with great care the coastal regions of southern India. Also indicated, where appropriate, are the names of the European countries in power in a particular port city, for example "Cochin aux Hollandois"; "Pondichery aux Francois".

Koeman, C&M 7, #90

#15046$750.00
 
 
DE L'ISLE, Guillaume (1675-1726)

Carte d'Asie dressée pour l'usage du Roy. Sur les Memoires envoyéz par le Czar a l'Academie Royale des Science Sur ce que les Arabes nous ont laissé de plus exact des pays orientaux Sur un grand nombre de Routiers de terre et de Mer et des Cartes manuscrites detaillées. Le tout assujetti aux Observations de l"academie et a Celles de R. R. P. P. Jesuites et autre Mathematiciens. Par G. De l'Isle.

Paris: Chez l'Auteur sur le Quay de l'Horloge, circa 1730. Engraved with period outline colour. Printed on thick laid paper. In excellent condition with the exception of a tiny rust stain in the bottom left corner. Image size: 19 x 24 5/8 inches. Plate mark: 19 1/4 x 24 15/16 inches. Sheet size: 19 7/8 x 26 1/2 inches.

An important early map of Asia by the celebrated French cartographer, Guillaume de L'Isle.

Guillaume de l'Isle (1675-1726) was the son of a cartographer and a pupil of Jean Dominique Cassini, who, among other important contributions, aligned the study of astronomy to the study of geography. Under Cassini's direction, observations were made from locations all over the world that enabled longitudinal calculations to be made with much greater accuracy. De L'Isle carried on this exacting work with remarkable dedication and integrity, constantly revising and improving his maps. While precision was his primary goal, his maps are invariably elegant and attractive.

This map is from an edition of De L'Isle's Atlas de Geographie, which was reissued posthumously from 1730 to 1774. The map covers the whole of Asia including southern Europe and the whole of the Middle East. De L'Isle's elegant map draws upon many sources, as indicated in the title, one of these being Guillaume's brother, Joseph Nicolas, who worked in St. Petersburg for many years gathering material for a comprehensive survey of all of Russia, (at the instigation of Peter the Great) and, with Kirilov, produced the first Russian atlas. The southern portions of Asia are depicted with remarkable accuracy, at least in the general contours of this vast region. From India to Japan, we find striking improvements over the Dutch maps of only one generation before.

This superb map is a wonderful example of De L'Isle's artistry and fascinating early map of Asia.

Moreland and Bannister, Antique Maps p. 132; Tooley's Dictionary of Mapmakers, 395

#17078$2,000.00
 
 
DE L'ISLE, Guillaume (1675-1726)

[Sri Lanka] Insula Ceilon olim Taprobana ... Carte de l'Isle de Ceylan Dressée sur les Observations de M[essieu]rs de l'Academie Royale des Sciences par le Sieur de L'Isle

Amsterdam: Pierre Mortier, [circa 1700]. Copper-engraved map with full period colour. Fine condition. Plate mark: 19 5/8 x 22 1/2 inches. Sheet size: 21 1/2 x 25 1/4 inches.

A very fine copy of this outstanding map of Sri Lanka by de L'Isle (one of the foremost French cartographers), printed and published by Pierre Mortier.

Pierre Mortier (1661-1711), whose ancestors were French, spent the years from 1681 to 1685 in Paris learning the book trade. When he returned to Amsterdam to open his own publishing house, he offered French publications and his own editions of French works. An edition of de L'Isle's maps, enlarged and fully coloured, was one of these.

Guillaume de L'Isle (1675-1726) was one of France's greatest geographers and mapmakers. He was known as the "first scientific mapmaker" and was honored as "Premier Geographe du Roi" by Louis XIV.

Koeman, Atlantes Neerlandici, vol III, p. 4-10

#12136$1,500.00
 
 
DUVAL, Pierre (1618-1683)

L'Asie/reveue et augmentée

Paris: 1684. Engraved with period outline colour. Mild toning due to age. Small crease lower left. Image size (including text): 16 1/4 x 20 3/4 inches. Sheet size: 18 x 24 inches.

Pierre Duval was Nicholas Sanson's nephew, and his work was primarily editing and augmenting Sanson's innovative cartography. He and Hubert Jaillot were most important in bringing Sanson's work to the world, both in improved editions and in bringing to print previously unpublished manuscripts.

This map of Asia bears the characteristic clarity and more "scientific" air of the 17th-century French map. Though many sites are mis-located, a vast amount of material has been examined and assessed. Most placenames represent geographical entities that currently exist or once existed. The rendition of the lower islands of Japan and the peninsula of Korea are improved over earlier studies. Details of the Great Wall of China are also visible.

This map, dated 1684, was issued by Pierre's daughter, "Mlle." Duval, the year after his death.

Pastoureau, Duval II E, (9).

#10286$2,000.00
 
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