This rare early map of China by English mapmaker, John Speed, was published in his world atlas "A prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World" (1627-1676), the first world atlas by an Englishman. The maps in this atlas took as their model the Dutch "carte-a-figures" maps of the period and included decorative border vignettes. This map's vignettes include views of the cities of Quinzay (Hangzhou) and Macao along the top border, along with wind carts and the persecution of Christians in Japan. The side borders illustrate Speed's vision of the inhabitants of China and Japan. The Japanese soldiers are possibly the first such representations on a European map. The map includes Korea as an elongated island and Japan on the Ortelius-Teixeira model. The view of Macao is a fine bird's e...[ Read more ]

This rare early map of China by English mapmaker, John Speed, was published in his world atlas "A prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World" (1627-1676), the first world atlas by an Englishman. The maps in this atlas took as their model the Dutch "carte-a-figures" maps of the period and included decorative border vignettes. This map's vignettes include views of the cities of Quinzay (Hangzhou) and Macao along the top border, along with wind carts and the persecution of Christians in Japan. The side borders illustrate Speed's vision of the inhabitants of China and Japan. The Japanese soldiers are possibly the first such representations on a European map. The map includes Korea as an elongated island and Japan on the Ortelius-Teixeira model. The view of Macao is a fine bird's eye view copied from de Bry.