"Asiae XI Tab", Ptolemy/Mercator

Fine Ptolemaic map of the region of Thailand and Malaysia. The map shows an oddly shaped peninsula to the east of the Ganges and the Sinus Magnus (South China Sea), with a landmass to the east of that. This depiction is the legacy of Ptolemy's idea of a landlocked Indian Ocean. Although he is most renowned today for the projection he popularized and for first using the term Atlas for a collection of maps, Mercator devoted much of his life to his Ptolemaic maps. The maps were beautifully engraved as nearly as possible to their original form and embellished with fine cartouches and cultural scenes. This map includes a caravan, camels, ships and boats.

References: Mickwitz & Miekkavaara (Nordenskiold) #232-27.

Condition: B

There are two tiny holes near the centerfold, light damp staining and some scattered foxing primarily in the blank margins. Right margin is trimmed close to the neatline.