Asia Vetus

Circa 1720s

Original hand-coloured copper engraving on paper

Without mount: 12.7 x 15.9 in (32.5 x 40.5 cm)
With mount: 19.4 x 18.8 in (49.5 x 48 cm)

This map is from Christoph Weigel's first edition atlas titled Descriptio Orbis Antiqui in XLIV Tabulis Exhibita of the ancient world published in Nuremberg in the 1720s.

An intriguing map of Asia derived from pre-Columbian travellers' accounts. Japan, China, and Southeast Asia are treated curiously, and the Korean Peninsula is absent. The work focuses on the Eastern Hemisphere alone with special attention paid to the lands occupied by the Greek and Roman Empires. With a focus on ornamental title cartouches embellished with numismatic elements—coins and medallions that symbolise the area and its rich classical past—the map is meticulously etched and skillfully coloured by hand.

This work will be shipped unframed

NON-EXPORTABLE

This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition of each lot.