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Weltkarte Ming Dynasty. Wang. Kass.
Lot 2621
Lot 2621
Estimate
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€
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("Dai ming kyuhen bankoku jinseki rotei zenzu - Complete map of the Ming Dynasty China and its nine border lands with the human traces and travel routes"). Anonymes Manuskript einer chinesischen Weltkarte in aquarellierter Tuschfeder- u. -pinselzeichnung, Ende 18. Jh., nach der Vorlage von Wang Jun-fu bei Fa Xing, 1663. 89:108,5 cm; klassisch gefaltet (orihon) zwischen 2 grüne Papierdeckel, davon einer mit Titel (23,5:17); in mod. Lwd.-Kassette.
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Zur Vorlage in Holzschnitt von Wang Jun-fu (auch Chun-fu) siehe Kerlen 164 u. Beans 1700.1, ferner die Originalkte. von Cao Junyi in Hu, Visible Traces Nr. 51 mit Abb.
A very fine manuscript map centered on China, though intending to illustrate the whole world. Copied after the rare printed world map by Wang Jun-fu of 1663 (= Kangxi, year of the rabbit), which was based on the one by Cao Junyi, of which only 2 copies are known in the National Library of China and the British Library. His map, published in 1644, during the last year of the Ming Dynasty, is considered a landmark in the history of Chinese cartography. This fact explains as to why Wang's map, although released 20 years after the Manchu Qing conquest of China, still illustrates the Ming Empire.
The map of China - except for the Eastern coastline - is quite accurate with a scale of 1 Cun (c. 3 cm) corresponding to 100 Li (approx. 85 km). It is covered with hundreds of notes of historical interest about the cities, the rivers and waterways of strategic importance, the source of the Yellow River, the Great Lakes as the source of the sweet water, the Great Wall, the Gobi Desert, the five resp. four holy mountains of Taoism and Buddhism, and in large closed rectangles the history of the Ryukyu Islands, Korea, Annam (= Vietnam), Japan, Northern Manchu tribes et al. Western Asia, Africa and Europe are only very superficially depicted, reflecting the Chinese chartographer's imagination, because during the 17th century the Chinese still believed that their country occupied 75% of the surface of the earth. Hence the African continent is reduced to a minimum and suspended along the left side of the map; and the European landmass is marginalized at the upper left corner, almost unrecognizable besides the Mediterranean Sea, portrayed as a large lake with the inscription 'Earth Centre Sea', likewise also the Atlantic as 'Great western Ocean'.
The map is not signed, but the exceptionally fine calligraphy is characteristic of the handwriting of a Buddhist monk, most probably from the late 18th century. Compared to the map of 1663, it has been copied with greatest possible accuracy, only omitting the explanatory text surrounding at either side the printed map.
Folded as usual between 2 covers with partly floral design, 1 side with title. Careful repairs to some worming, backed with fine tissue; in modern linen case.
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)Zur Vorlage in Holzschnitt von Wang Jun-fu (auch Chun-fu) siehe Kerlen 164 u. Beans 1700.1, ferner die Originalkte. von Cao Junyi in Hu, Visible Traces Nr. 51 mit Abb.
A very fine manuscript map centered on China, though intending to illustrate the whole world. Copied after the rare printed world map by Wang Jun-fu of 1663 (= Kangxi, year of the rabbit), which was based on the one by Cao Junyi, of which only 2 copies are known in the National Library of China and the British Library. His map, published in 1644, during the last year of the Ming Dynasty, is considered a landmark in the history of Chinese cartography. This fact explains as to why Wang's map, although released 20 years after the Manchu Qing conquest of China, still illustrates the Ming Empire.
The map of China - except for the Eastern coastline - is quite accurate with a scale of 1 Cun (c. 3 cm) corresponding to 100 Li (approx. 85 km). It is covered with hundreds of notes of historical interest about the cities, the rivers and waterways of strategic importance, the source of the Yellow River, the Great Lakes as the source of the sweet water, the Great Wall, the Gobi Desert, the five resp. four holy mountains of Taoism and Buddhism, and in large closed rectangles the history of the Ryukyu Islands, Korea, Annam (= Vietnam), Japan, Northern Manchu tribes et al. Western Asia, Africa and Europe are only very superficially depicted, reflecting the Chinese chartographer's imagination, because during the 17th century the Chinese still believed that their country occupied 75% of the surface of the earth. Hence the African continent is reduced to a minimum and suspended along the left side of the map; and the European landmass is marginalized at the upper left corner, almost unrecognizable besides the Mediterranean Sea, portrayed as a large lake with the inscription 'Earth Centre Sea', likewise also the Atlantic as 'Great western Ocean'.
The map is not signed, but the exceptionally fine calligraphy is characteristic of the handwriting of a Buddhist monk, most probably from the late 18th century. Compared to the map of 1663, it has been copied with greatest possible accuracy, only omitting the explanatory text surrounding at either side the printed map.
Folded as usual between 2 covers with partly floral design, 1 side with title. Careful repairs to some worming, backed with fine tissue; in modern linen case.
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