China: Kunyu Quantu or 'A Map of the Whole World', Eastern Hemisphere, Beijing, 1674

This map showing the two hemispheres of the world was made for the 2nd Qing Emperor, Kangxi (1662-1722) by the Jesuit Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-88), in 1674. Verbiest was one of a few Jesuits who were employed at the Chinese court during the period.

Printed from woodblocks using Mercator's projection, the map was part of a larger geographical work called Kunyu tushuo (Illustrated Discussion of the Geography of the World) and called: Kunyu wanguo quantu (A Map of the Myriad Countries of the World). It was one of a series of maps produced by the Jesuits at the Court in Beijing, beginning with Matteo Ricci's two maps of 1584 and 1602.

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Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

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