- 187
Blaeu, Johannes
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Blaeu, Johannes
- Novus Atlas Sinensis, das ist ausfuhrliche beschreibung des grossen Reichs Sian durch P. M. Martinium. Amsterdam, 1656
- paper
Folio (475 x 325mm.), German text, pictorial engraved title and 17 double-page engraved general and regional maps, contemporary hand colour, contemporary Dutch panelled vellum, title-page slightly frayed, some browning or spotting (mostly to text)
Literature
cf. Koeman I BL 55; van der Krogt 2:531B
Condition
Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
German edition of the first printed European atlas of China.
The atlas came to publication after Martini's return to Europe in the early 1650s, when he entrusted Jesuit manuscript surveys of China and Japan into Blaeu's care. The resulting atlas of seventeen maps, entitled the Atlas Sinensis, made its first appearance in print in Amsterdam in 1655 (with a general map of China, fifteen maps of provinces and a separate map of Japan).
For the period, the maps were remarkably accurate, with many of the towns positioned by astronomical observation. This atlas, with its text largely after Martini's Sinicae historiae, remained the standard work until the appearance of du Halde's Description... de l'empire de la Chine in 1735 with its maps taken from the Jesuit surveys of 1708-1718.