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Quantung, e Fokien, Provincie della China…
[Venice, ca. 1690]. Hand-colored engraving, 17.875” x 23.9375” plus margins. CONDITION: Very good, margins narrower at top and bottom than on sides. A fascinating seventeenth-century map of southeastern China from an atlas of world islands by renowned Venetian cartographer Vincenzo Coronelli. This richly decorated map, embodying Coronelli's characteristically pleasing style, depicts southern China centered on the provinces of Guangdong (Quantung) and Fujian (Fokien), with parts of several surrounding provinces also visible. The Pearl River Delta—including the area that would become Hong Kong and Macau—and its many islands are a major focus. The large islands of Hainan and Taiwan are also shown, as is Luzon in the Philippines, which is placed farther west than it should be. The map depicts rivers, mountains, settlements, boundary lines, wooded areas, shoals, and other features of interest. Coloration corresponds to provincial boundaries, with the exception of small offshore islands appearing in multiple colors. The cartouche in the lower right features a cloaked man in Chinese dress, with a parasol above his head and two spear-like objects serving as surrogates for his hands and protruding on either side. Barrels and arrows appear in the lower part. It bears a dedication to Carlo Trigona, described here as a Jesuit theologian and associate of the Archbishop of Palermo. Little about him is found in the historical record. A scale bar in the upper right of the map provides distance in Italian miles, and a coordinate system with cardinal directions appears in the margins. Five Chinese-style vessels appear in the South China Sea, called the “Mare della China.” A note in the lower left lists statistics for the two title provinces. This map appeared in the second part of volume two of Coronelli’s Atlante Veneto (1691–1692; 1696–1698). The atlas draws heavily on the tradition of isolario—maps that focus on islands—that was popular in the Renaissance, especially (and unsurprisingly) in Venice. Coronelli’s Atlante Veneto is a comprehensive survey of the known world, and is renowned as one of the most richly-decorated atlases of its time. Vincenzo Coronelli (1650–1718) was a Venetian geographer, cartographer, mathematician, and theologian who led a revival of interest in cartography in Venice near the end of the seventeenth century. The son of a tailor, the young Coronelli apprenticed as a wood engraver. He later was ordained as a Franciscan priest and served as the Father General of his order. He worked as Cosmographer to the Venetian Republic and as a professor of geography. In 1680, he founded a geographical society in Venice, the Academia Cosmografica degli Argonauti. Coronelli was known for his isolarios and large-scale globes for notable clients, including Louis XIV. During his lifetime, Coronelli engraved over 500 maps and contributed to over 140 titles. REFERENCES: Rumsey 11391; Moreland, Carl and David Bannister. Christie’s Collector’s Guide: Antique Maps (Oxford: Phaidon / Christie’s, 1986), pp. 64, 72.
Item #9753
Price: $2,400.00
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