Asia, Partium Orbis Maxima

RARE map of Asia from De Jode's Speculum Orbis Terrarae. This new map of Asia only appeared in Cornelis de Jode's 1593 re-issue of his father's atlas. Though highly regarded by contemporary commentators, neither edition of the De Jode atlas sold well due to competition from Abraham Ortelius's Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. As such, very few copies of the de Jode maps were ever printed making these very rare and collectible pieces.



The map's geography, largely drawn from Gastaldi's earlier map of Asia, fills the continent with an intricate network of mountain ranges and river systems. The most fascinating of these shows the source of the major rivers of Southeast Asia as being a single lake in northern Bengal. Miniature illustrations of the people and animals are scattered across the map. The Great Wall of China is prominently illustrated with a short caption describing its length and purpose as a defense against invaders.



[AS954]