1680 De Wit map of Tartaria and China

This beautifully engraved and colored map is Frederick de Wit's 1680 map of Central Asia and the Far East, including Persia, China, Japan and Siberia. It reaches from the eastern Caspian Sea to the Pacific, and from the mouth of the Ganges in the south to the mouth of the Ob in Siberia. This represented the state of the art of Dutch cartography of northeastern Asia prior to the groundbreaking map of Nicolaas Witsen. The treatment of Japan and Yedso reflects the journey of Maarten Gerritsz Vries and the northeastern bulge evident on the maps of Blaeu and Jansson has been truncated here. The regions of central Asia are replete with descriptive texts, some of which were retained from the 15th century maps of Fra Mauro, and even from the narrative of Marco Polo. These focus particularly on the empire of the Grand Khan, and on various putative Christian kingdoms. The Great Wall of China is depicted.

Apocryphal Lake Chiamay

The mythical Lake of Chiamay, or Chiang Mai, appears at the south of the map, roughly in what is today Assam, India. Early cartographers postulated that such a lake must exist to source the four important Southeast Asian river systems: the Irrawaddy, the Dharla, the Chao Phraya, and the Brahmaputra. This lake began to appear on maps of Asia as early as the 16th century and persisted well into the mid-18th century. Its origins are unknown but may come from a lost 16th century geography prepared by the Portuguese scholar Joao de Barros. The map is embellished with a lovely strapwork cartouche flanked with putti, but it is not abundantly decorated. This stage of Dutch mapmaking began to strip away ornament in favor of detail, as more of the latter became available for presentation.

Publication History and Census

This map was engraved for Frederick de Wit by Jan Lhuillier as early as 1662. It appeared in De Wit's atlas in this form until perhaps 1688. After 1689 the map's title was changed to indicate De Wit's receipt of a privilege. At this point Lhuillier's imprint was effaced, possibly to prevent any legal confusion over to whom the privilege had been granted. The present example, lacking any privilege, was certainly printed prior to 1688. The sharpness of the image suggests an early strike. In various editions this map is well represented in institutional collections.