China--Coronelli, Vincenzo Maria.

The condition of this item is as described in the catalogue description
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A famous and important two-sheet map of China, the best delineation of that country to date.

The map is dedicated to Antonio Baldigiani (1647-1711), a Jesuit, and Professor of Mathematics at the Roman College, and from 1691 consultor to the Congregation of the Index, the church body responsible for examining books condemned by the Inqusition, and reporting their findings to the Pope, and in case of minor errors, providing editing advice for the book to allow publication. As such, he was an important, conciliatory, figure in the confrontation between Catholic doctrines and the new science propounded by Galileo and others.

Baldigiani, as with many fellow Jesuits, was greatly interested in China, and was an obvious choice as a dedicatee for this map. European contact with and knowledge of China to date was largely dependent on the work of successive generations of Jesuits, for example, the work of Martino de Martini to be found in this collection (see lot 54), among others.

Coronelli's map draws upon the maps and writings of several of these men, most notably Philippe Couplet, mentioned in the panel of text on the left, whose interest in China was first inspired by a lecture of Martini's, and who went on to become an important author on Chinese matters, and Procurator of the China Jesuits in Rome.

The scientific imagery of the title cartouche, while honouring Baldigiani's background, also reflects that the Jesuits were not merely missionaries but also men of science and learning, who played an influential role at the Chinese court through their skills in these fields.