Verbiest Map (Kunyu Quantu) collection

KUNYU QUANTU 坤輿全圖 (A Map of the Whole World), by Ferdinand Verbiest, 1674, showing the two hemispheres of the world was designed for the Chinese Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) by the Jesuit Father Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-88), in 1674. Verbiest was one of a handful of Jesuits who were employed at the Chinese court during the 17th-18th century and who introduced ideas of Western science to China. Printed from woodblocks, the map was part of a larger geographical work called Kunyu tushuo (Illustrated Discussion of the Geography of the World), which included information on different lands as well as the physical map itself.

Cartouches provide information on the size, climate, land-forms, customs and history of various parts of the world and details of natural phenomena such as eclipses and earthquakes. Columbus’ discovery of America is also discussed. Images of ships, real and imaginary animals and sea creatures pepper both hemispheres, creating a visually stunning as well as historically important object.

This copy of the map is a woodblock version reprinted in Seoul, Korea in 1860 (with a second being printed c.1931). The Seoul reprints of 1860 and c.1931, which are virtually identical, differ from the original with the addition of a new imprint in Chinese, and differently-shaped spandrels.

(taken from https://www.gla.ac.uk/hunterian/collections/collectionssummaries/archaeologyandworldcultures/worldcultures/verbiestmap/ at the University of Glasglow and https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/fine-printed-books-manuscripts-including-americana/verbiests-world-map-79/129759 at Christie's auction house.