Lot 116: The first map of China printed in England

[MAP - CHINA]

[PURCHAS, SAMUEL]. The Map of China. [Huang Ming yitong fang uy bei lan - Comprehensive view map fo the Imperial Ming.] London: circa 1625. First and only edition, from Purchas his Pilgrimes, London: William Stansby for Henrie Fetherstone, 1625-6. 11 1/2 x 14 1/4 inches (29.5 x 36.5 cm) to the neatline; Engraved map, hand colored. A bit of weakness along the old central fold with a few minor restorations to verso, light creasing at top edge, remnants of linen tabs from framing at corners on verso, a very fine and bright example.

The Map of China, the first map of the country printed and engraved in England, was apparently derived from a copy of the 1593 Cao Map which had been brought back to England by the merchant John Sarls, passed on to Richard Hakluyt, and finally acquired by Purchas for use in producing this map for inclusion his 1625 travel compendium, Purchas His Pilgrimes. The map shows the provinces of China delineated with dotted lines, The Great Wall, various rivers, cities, and towns, as well as Korea as a peninsula, which was unusual in a European map of this period. The three vignettes depict a Chinese man and woman in traditional garb, and the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci. The map was quite influential, with mapmakers such as Sanson, De Bry and Semedo using it as a template.