Chinae, olim Sinarum regionis nova descriptio auctore Ludovico Georgio
Description
| Type of resource | cartographic |
|---|---|
| Form | cartographic image |
| Extent | 1 map : hand colored ; 18.5 x 14.5 in |
| Place | Antwerp |
| Publication date | 1587 |
| Digital origin | reformatted digital |
| Map data | Scale not determined |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Ortelius |
|---|
Subjects
| Subject | Asia > Maps |
|---|---|
| Subject | Japan > Maps |
| Genre | Map |
Bibliographic information
| Note | Fine example of Ortelius' map of China, the first western map of China. Ortelius' map of China is taken directly from reports of the Portuguese mapmaker Luis Jorge de Barbuda (Ludovicus Georgius) who made a manuscript map of China which reached Ortelius via Arias Montanus. First published in 1584, Ortelius' map of China is the earliest printed map to focus on China and the first to illustrate the Great Wall of China. Tooley referred to the map as the standard map of the interior of China for over sixty years. With its three lushly designed cartouches and many illustrations of indigenous shelters, modes of transportation and animals, this is one of Ortelius’s richest engravings. When this map appeared, it was by far the most accurate representation of China to appear on a printed map. Japan is shown on a curious curved projection reminiscent of Poruguese charts of the period with Honshu dissected along the line of Lake Biwa. The Great Wall is shown, but only a relatively small section, its length is significantly underestimated. The Tartar "yurts" are dotted across the plains and steppes of Central and East Asia. The Portugese Jesuits established a mission in Chinese in 1577. Although the map’s Portuguese maker, Barbuda, was himself not a Jesuit, his sources for the map were Portuguese Jesuits. The Chinese characters found in the text on the verso of the map were the first introduction to Chinese language for many educated Europeans of the time. The present example is the second of three states of the map, including the words "Las Philippinas" above Sinus Magnus, which first appeared on the map during the publication of the 1587 French edition. |
|---|---|
| Note | Map shows Japan, Southeast Asia, China, Philippines. |
| citation/reference | Suarez (1999) "Early Mapping of South-East Asia", Periplus, p. 164-170, Figure 88. ; Van den Broecke, 164; Nebenzahl, K. Mapping the Silk Road and Beyond 4.6; Tooley, Maps and Mapmakers, p. 106, pl. 78 (p. 108); Walter, L. Japan: A Cartographic Vision 11F, p. 186. |
| Available online |
|
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/xr944vw8605 |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- Image from the The Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection courtesy Stanford University Libraries. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce commercially, please contact the David Rumsey Map Center at rumseymapcenter@stanford.edu.
- Copyright
- Property rights reside with the repository, Copyright © Stanford University. Images may be reproduced or transmitted, but not for commercial use. For commercial use or commercial republication, contact rumseymapcenter@stanford.edu This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. By downloading any images from this site, you agree to the terms of that license.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC-SA).
Collection
The Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection
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