Catalog Archive
Auction 151, Lot 698

A Unique Mirror Image of the North Pacific with the Island of California

"[North Pacific Ocean] Fol. I.D. Fig. I", Scherer, Heinrich

Subject: North Pacific Ocean

Period: 1700 (circa)

Publication: Geographia Politica…

Color: Hand Color

Size:
13.6 x 9.1 inches
34.5 x 23.1 cm
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This bizarre and unusual map shows a mirror image of the North Pacific with the coastlines of America and Asia reversed, as if viewed from the center of the earth. The island of California is depicted with a heavily indented coastline. Japan has a curious shape with Honshu joined to a bulbous shaped Hokkaido by a narrow isthmus. The seas are filled with strange creatures and exquisitely engraved galleons, and the land is teeming with exotic animals. Native figures (each holding an exotic bird) support a distance measure that stretches between the continents. Inset with a large map of the Eastern hemisphere centered on Asia, also in mirror image.

References: McLaughlin #159.

Condition: B+

A clean, bright example with a nice impression and attractive color. There are professional repairs to a 2" centerfold separation and three worm holes, all within the Eastern hemisphere inset, with a small amount of image expertly replaced in facsimile.

Estimate: $950 - $1,100

Sold for: $650

Closed on 11/19/2014

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