174. Blaeu, Willem: Tartaria Sive magni Chami Imperium

Amsterdam, c. 1640.
Coloured, copper-engraved map by Willem Blaeu depicting the vast region of Central and Northeast Asia – a masterpiece of the golden age of Dutch cartography. The map extends from China and Mongolia to the Caspian Sea and the Volga River, and from the Arctic Ocean to Tibet and the Upper Ganges region, representing one of the finest summaries of European geographical knowledge of the period. The work depicts rivers and geographical features with detailed toponymy, highlighting major settlements and the Great Wall of China; an accompanying note emphasises that this vast structure served to keep the Tatars at bay. In the less well-mapped interior regions, cartographic elements typical of the period – some of them speculative – are present. The engraver enriched the composition with numerous vignettes: ships and sea creatures populate the seas, while nomadic peoples and exotic – at times anthropomorphic – animals appear on land. The high-quality craftsmanship characteristic of the Blaeu workshop is also evident in the cartouches and calligraphic inscriptions: both cartouches are surrounded by figurative decoration, and the title cartouche is placed on a camel’s blanket in the lower right corner. Early impression with blank verso.
Dimensions: 390 × 505 (410 × 530) mm. Fine, clean copy.
van der Krogt II.: 8050:2.
 
Starting price: 100 000 Ft