This map of China by John Speed is celebrated as being one of the most decorative cartographic documents of the country and much in demand by both collectors as well as individuals with an interest in the history of the Far East.



Geographically, the map is sourced from Jesuit mapmakers who returned with surveys in the late 16th century. These sources were mainly Portuguese and Italian; Abraham Ortelius, compiler of the first Atlas, also was the first person in Europe to publish maps of both Japan and China as separate countries. These Jesuit surveys served as a template for maps of China for decades to come.



Speed had connections with the Hondius firm and his map closely follows this Jesuit model, narrowing the country substantially on an East to West projection, showing Korea as an island and marking the Great Wall. The map also stretches far to the west, showing "Parte of India Within Ganges", the "Kingdom of the Bramas" as well as the land of Pegu, another name for Myanmar. Several text panels narrate a mixture of myth, legend and reported facts about the region. The sources for these are varied, including Pliny and Marco Polo.



As well as being the first atlas map of China in English, another reason why this map is so much in demand are the illustrated borders which adorn it. The side borders show the costumed inhabitants of the region including a Japanese soldier bearing a musket, a very unusual illustration for a map, the women and men of Pegu and the men and women of China. The upper border has large vignettes of Macao, sourced from the works of Theodor de Bry, Quinzay or modern Hangzhou, notable for being one end of the Grand Canal, still the longest canal in the world and deemed one of the wonders of the country. The two other vignettes show the fanciful wagons with sails present in many maps of this region and first seen on Ortelius's map of Tartary, as well as an illustration of executions via crucifixion, a reference to Jesuit martyrdom in Japan.



This map has become renowned and the cornerstone of many map collections of China and the Far East.



Roger Rea edition. English text on verso. Image available on request. Rich old colour.

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