1719 L'Empire du Japon, tire des cartes des Japonnois..
By: Henri Chatelain
Date: 1719 (Published) Amsterdam
Dimensions: 14 x 17 inches (35.56 x 43.18 cm)
This authentic antique map was published by Henri Chatelain in 1719 for his Atlas Historique. Published from 1705 to 1720, the Atlas Historique was intended for the general public and was one of the most widely distributed atlases of the early 18th century.
In order to produce his atlas, Chatelain was compelled to draw upon the work of his contemporaries. This map was actually a copy of Adrien Reland’s earlier rendering of Japan. Reland’s map was a marked improvement over earlier European maps of Japan in some respects. For instance, it provided an improved treatment of Kyushu and fully delineated the sixty six provinces of Japan using Sino-Japanese characters. It also included a detailed inset of Nagasaki, which displayed the Dejima, an artificial lake which housed the Dutch trading station of the VOC.
Despite these advancements, this map also includes some inaccuracies. Reland originally intended to create a travel map, and formatting constraints meant that he had to represent Honshu in a truncated form. In addition, Chatelain made some errors when translating Reland’s map from Dutch into French, leaving some of the Japanese provinces with incorrect names.
Condition: This map is in A condition with lovely hand-coloring.
Inventory #18803
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