"L'Asie", Aa, Pieter van der

This rare small map is from a revised copper plate originally engraved by Pieter van den Keere and published in the 1628 edition of the Mercator Atlas Minor published by Jansson. It is based primarily on Hondius' important map of the continent and the East Indies. Korea appears as an island, an exaggerated Gulf of Cambay distorts the Indian subcontinent and the southern coastline of Java is blank. Van den Keere changed the shape of Japan and America Pars and added a mysterious I. De Paxoros off the American coast. For the Atlas Soulage the titles and scale were translated into French, the cartouche revised and a compass rose added in the sea. The atlas was only issued once and there is only one known complete copy extant, in the University Library of Leiden.

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Condition: A