TARTARY RUSSIA CHINA MONGOLIA 1646ca BLAEU UNUSUAL ANTIQUE COPPER ENGRAVED MAP

Tartaria sive Magno Chami Imperium.

Description: Striking and highly detailed fine unusual 1646 approx.  copper engraved detailed map focusing on Tartary, a term historically used to describe a vast region in Asia, covering parts of modern-day Russia, Mongolia, and China. The map reflects the European understanding and misconceptions of Asian geography during that era.
 
Composition and Medium:
 
The map is an engraved illustration enhanced with hand coloring, typical of the period's cartographic works. The use of color is both decorative and functional, helping to distinguish various regions and features. The map is bordered by a decorative cartouche, which includes the title and other embellishments.
 
Style and Subject Matter:
 
The style is emblematic of the Baroque period, with elaborate and artistic flourishes that serve both aesthetic and informative purposes.
 
Significant Features:
 
- Landmarks and Regions: The map delineates various regions and rivers, including the "Magni Chami Imperivm," referring to the empire of the Great Khan. The depiction of rivers, mountains, and cities is detailed, though not always accurate by modern standards.
 
- Inscriptions: Numerous place names and geographical notations are present, written in Latin, which was the scholarly and cartographic language of the time.
 
- Decorative Elements: The map includes illustrations of figures in traditional attire, animals like camels, and other symbolic representations of the region's culture and geography.
 
Cultural and Historical Context:
 
This map was created during a period of European expansion and exploration. The 17th century was a time when European powers were increasingly interested in Asia for trade and political alliances. Maps like this one by Blaeu were vital tools for navigation and understanding the wider world, though they often included inaccuracies and mythological elements due to limited knowledge and reliance on travelers' accounts.
 
Publication Context:
 
The map is part of the "Atlas Maior," an ambitious project by Joan Blaeu, which was one of the most significant atlases of its time. The atlas was published in multiple languages, indicating its broad appeal and the international interest in global geography during the 17th century.
 
Notable Aspects:
 
- Decorative Cartouche: The cartouche is a notable artistic feature, often used in maps from this period, serving both as a title display and a decorative element.
 
- Scale: The map uses a scale of 120 Milliaria Germanica communia = 6.8 cm, a common measurement in German maps of that time, reflecting the intricate understanding and practical application of scale by cartographers like Blaeu.
 
The "Atlas Maior" is still highly regarded today for its artistic and historical value, offering insights into the world as it was understood in the 17th century. This map of Tartary serves as both a geographical document and an artistic piece, reflecting the blend of science, art, and exploration characteristic of the period.

Date: 1646 approx. ( undated )

Date: Paper size approx.: cm 50,3 x 41,8

Condition: Very strong and dark impression on good paper. Paper with chains and wiremarks. Map old original colored. Minor loosing of the map. Corners and lateral margins partially missing and restored on the reverse. Sheet browned. Tears repaired on the reverse. Map reinforced on the reverse along the margins. Small tears. Map repaired on the reverse along central folding. Map folded. Conditions are as you can see in the images. SOLD IN THE CONDITIONS.

Mapmaker: The Blaeus: Willem Janszoon, Cornelis & Joan
 
Willem Jansz. Blaeu and his son Joan Blaeu are the most widely known cartographic publishers of the seventeenth century.
 
Willem Jansz. (also written Guilielmus Janssonius) = Willem Janszoon Blaeu, was born in Uitgeest (Netherlands), near Alkmaar in 1571. He studied mathematics under Tycho Brahe and learned the theory and practice of astronomical observations and the art of instrument- and globe making.
 
In 1596 he came to Amsterdam where he settled down as a globe-, instrument- and map-maker. He published his first cartographic work (a globe) in 1599 and probably published his first printed map (a map of the Netherlands) in 1604. He specialized in maritime cartography and published the first edition of the pilot guide Het Licht der Zeevaert in 1608, and was appointed Hydrographer of the V.O.C. (United East India Company) in 1633. After thirty years of publishing books, wall maps, globes, charts and pilot guides, he brought out his first atlas, Atlas Appendix (1630). This was the beginning of the great tradition of atlas-making by the Blaeu's.
 
In 1618 another mapmaker, bookseller and publisher, Johannes Janssonius established himself in Amsterdam next door to Blaeu's shop. It is no wonder that these two neighbours, who began accusing each other of copying and stealing their information, became fierce competitors who did not have a good word to say about each other. In about 1621 Willem Jansz. decided to put an end to the confusion between his name and his competitor's, and assumed his grandfather's sobriquet, 'blauwe Willem' ('blue Willem'), as the family name; thereafter he called himself Willem Jansz. Blaeu.
 
Willem Janszoon Blaeu died in 1638, leaving his prospering business to his sons, Cornelis and Joan. Of Cornelis, we only know that his name occurs in the prefaces of books and atlases until c. 1645.
 
Joan Blaeu, born in Amsterdam, 1596, became partner in his father’s book trade and printing business. In 1638 he was appointed his father’s successor in the Hydrographic Office of the V.O.C. His efforts culminated in the magnificent Atlas Major and the town-books of the Netherlands and of Italy – works unsurpassed in history and in modern times, which gave eternal fame to the name of the Blaeu's.
 
On February 23, 1672, a fire ruined the business. One year later, Dr Joan Blaeu died. The fire of 1672 and the passing away of the director gave rise to a complete sale of the stock of the Blaeu House. Five public auctions dispersed the remaining books, atlases, copperplates, globes, etc., among many other map dealers and publishers in Amsterdam. The majority was acquired by a number of booksellers acting in partnership.
 
In the succeeding years, the remaining printing department was left in the hands of the Blaeu family until 1695 when also the inventory of the printing house was sold at a public auction. That meant the end of the Blaeu's as a printing house of world renown.