Asia Noviter Delineata
By: Willem Blaeu
Date: 1635 (circa)
Dimensions: 22 x 16 inches (55.9 x 40.7 cm)
This is a great full colored example of Blaeu's decorative map of Asia. The ornamented with 9 views of various cities within the continent and flanked by 10 vignettes showing pairs of indigenous people dressed in their native costumes. Such vignettes are often seen in maps by Blaeu and Speed with the difference between the two being the number of people shown per image. Blaeu is known to show pairs of natives while Speed's vignettes feature only one individual caption. There are many geographical and decorative aspects of this map worth noting.
In the north the long-believed existence of the Northeast Passage is revealed as the land mass Nova Zembla is mapped with no east coast and a clear passage is shown to exist to the Anian Straight that opens to the Pacific. Korea is featured as an island just west of the abnormally shaped Japan. There are a number of indigenous animals scattered throughout the map including a well-placed elephant just north of a large lake that is believed to be the the source of the Ganges. Look due north and you will find the delineation of the Great Wall of China. The oceans are accented with 5 sailing ships a sea monster in the Pacific and a merman blowing a conch shell in the Indian Ocean. Latin text on verso.
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