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China Veteribus Sinarum Regio nunc Incolis Tame dicta
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| Title | China Veteribus Sinarum Regio nunc Incolis Tame dicta |
| Detailed view (zoom) | http://content.lib.washington.edu/mapsweb/images/Viewer/G7810_1635_B55.html |
| Cartographer | Blaeu, Willem Janszoon, 1571-1638
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| Century Published | 17th century
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| Publication Date | 1635 |
| Publisher | Blaeu, Joan 1596-1673
Blaeu, Cornelius 1610-1648
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| Place of Publication | Netherlands--Amsterdam |
| Original Source | "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive Atlas Novus." Vol 2. French. Blaeu, Willem Janszoon. Amsterdam: Jean and Cornelius Blaeu, 1640. |
| Descriptive Notes | Copper engraving handcolored with watercolor.
Outline color.
Relief shown pictorially.
Printed in cartouche in upper right corner:
"China Veteribus Sinarum Regio nunc Incolis Tame dicta."
Dedication to D. Theodor Bas printed in cartouche in lower right:
"Nobilissmo. Amplissmo. Spectatissmoq, Viro D. Theodoro Bas Equiti, Reip. Amstelodamensis Consuli ac Senatori, ad Suecorum Regem et Moschorum Ducem nuper Legato; Societatis quoq, Indicae quae ad Orientem mercatur et militat assessor, Tab. Hanc D. D. Guiljelmus et Johannes Blaeu."
Directions printed in border of map including "Meridies" in the bottom border, "Occidens" in the left border, "Septentrio" printed in the top border and "Oriens" printed in the right border.
Scale of "Millaria Germanica communia" printed in lower right corner.
Description of China and Japan printed on verso with map labeled as "6":
"Chine & Iapon. Le royaume de la Chine est contigu "a la Tartarie, du costé du Soleil levant; il ne cede "a aucun autre, ni en bonté d'air…"
Printed above mountain range in northern China describing the Great Wall of China and its defense against Tartary:
"Murus quadringentarum lecuarum inter montium crepidines a rege Chinae contra Tartarorum ab hac parte eruptions, extructus."
Shows China, Korea, Japan, part of India, part of modern-day Thailand as "Siam, " part of the Philippines, islands south of Japan, and part of an area marked as "Tar Tariae" west of China. Of note, Korea is shown as an island and China is distorted in size and shape. Depicts Chiang Mai Lake, a legendary lake north of India, as source of Menan, Ava and Comia Rivers. Shows the Yellow River or "Enseada de Nanquin" as considerably smaller than it actually is as well as the Ganges River, the Great Wall of China, and Chiang Hai Lake on the border between China and Tartary. Includes a large unlabeled mountain in Tartary alongside Ganges River. Labels sea east of China as "Oceanus Chinensis." Shows pictorial symbols of cities, lakes, rivers, and mountain ranges. Several ships are shown at sea. A coat of arms is atop the dedicatory cartouche. The title cartouche is decorated with two figures dressed in robes, a crown, a lion's face and decorative fruit garlands.
Scale: c.a. 1:11, 750, 000. |
| Contextual Notes | The Blaeu family was a group of cartographers, instrument makers, publishers and book sellers in Amsterdam in the seventeenth century. Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) was the founder of the Blaeu publishing firm. Born in Alkmaar, he later studied astronomy and sciences under Tycho Brahe, the well-known Danish astronomer. In 1596 (1599?), he set up his own firm in Amsterdam as a globe and instrument-maker. In the early part of the seventeenth century, he created a number of works including "Pair of Globes" (1599, 1602, 1603, 1616, 1640), "Holland" (1604), "Spain" (1605), "World" (1605), "Continents" (1608), and Licht der Zeevaert (1608). In 1629, he bought 37 plates from Jodocus Hondius II with the intention of create a large land atlas. In 1630, he published his first major atlas, "Atlantis Appendix." In 1635 in collaboration with his sons, Blaeu published the first two volumes of "Atlas Novus or Theatrum Orbis Terrarum." After his death in 1638, the business passed to his sons, Joaen Blaeu (1596-1673) and Cornelius Blaeu (1610-1648). Together, the brothers expanded the atlas. After his brother's death, Joan directed the work alone and 6 volumes were completed in 1655 (Moreland and Bannister, 106-8; Tooley, 61).
This particular map was first published by Joan and Cornelius Blaeu in 1640 in volume 2 of a French edition of Willem Janszoon Blaeu's atlas, "Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive, Atlas Novus" (Koeman, 121). The map shows Korea as an island rather than a peninsula. Moreover, the Yellow Sea labeled "Enseada de Nanquin" is incorrectly shown as a "narrow strait" (Tooley and Bricker, 128).
European maps in the early part of the seventeenth century depicted China and Japan based on explorations made by the Spanish, the English and the Dutch as well as accounts from Jesuit missionaries (Tooley and Bricker, 115-129).
Source(s): Koeman, Cornelius, ed. "Alantes Neerlandici: Bibliography of Terrestrial, Maritime, and Celestial Books, Atlases and Pilot Books Published in the Netherlands up to 1880. Volume 1." Amsterdam: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum Ltd., 1970.
Moreland, Carl and David Bannister. "Antique Maps: A Collector's Handbook." New York: Longman Group, Ltd., 1983.
Tooley, Ronald Vere. "Tooley's Dictionary of Mapmakers." Hertfordshire: Map Collector Publications Limited, 1979.
Tooley, Ronald Vere and Charles Bricker. "Landmarks of Mapmaking: An Illustrated Survey of Maps and Mapmakers." Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1968.
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| Language | Latin |
| Category | Historical Illustrated Scene
Cartographic Curiosa
Mythical Places
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| Location Depicted | Asia, East
Asia, Central
Japan
Korea
China
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| Subjects (LCSH) | China-Maps-Early works to 1800.; Japan-Maps-Early works to 1800.; Korea-Maps-Early works to 1800. |
| Digital Collection | World and Regional Maps, 16th to the 19th centuries
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| Digital ID Number | MAP115 |
| Ordering Information | For information about digital reproductions, please email photos@u.washington.edu. Please cite the Digital ID number. |
| Repository | University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division.
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| Repository Collection | Rare Map Collection. G7810 1635 B55 |
| Object Type | Map
Engraving |
| Physical Description | 40 x 48 cm. |
| Condition | Minor brown spots throughout. Crease at top. Written in pencil at bottom of map in lower right corner: "Blaeu, 1635." Written in pencil at bottom of map in lower left: "272 Blaeu. Small tear in bottom of lower right edge. Description of China and Japan printed in Latin on verso. Tape in upper right and left corners on verso. Call number written in pencil in lower left corner on verso. Written in pencil in lower right corner on verso: "3x3 1/2 - 25-1/2 x 22 5/8." |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from original map at 600 dpi in TIFF format, resized and enhanced at 400 ppi using Adobe Photoshop, and imported as JPEG2000 using ContentDM's software JPEG2000 Extension. 2008. |
| Acquisition | The Janice Ruth Johnson Memorial Map Collection donated by Professor W. Vance Johnson, Ellensburg, Wash., 1990. |
| References | Koeman, v.3, 121. Tooley and Bricker, 128. |
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