"Carte de l'Asie Corrigee et Augmentee Dessus Toutes les Aultres cy Devant Faictes", Bertius/Tavernier

This rare map of Asia is a reduced-size edition of Bertius' earlier map, which was copied from Henricus Hondius' 1631 map, Asia Recens Summa Cura Delineata (which itself was based on Jodocus Hondius' carte-a-figures map of Asia from 1623). The map extends from the Arabian Peninsula through the East Indies and includes some interesting conjectural cartography. The Caspian Sea is oriented horizontally, and the northeastern coast of Russia is quite truncated. The mythical Chiama Lac is shown in western China with five rivers flowing south. Korea is shown as an elongated peninsula, and Japan is based on the Ortelius/Teixeira model. There is a wide expanse of ocean between the east coast of Asia and America, which is conveniently hidden by the title cartouche. The map is also adorned with a second strapwork cartouche that includes Tavernier's imprint. Unlike Bertius' earlier edition of this map, this smaller edition omits the decorative animals, ships and sea monsters and also bears no engraver's imprint. This map was often found in Pierre d'Avity's Le Monde, ou la description Generale de ses Quatre Parties.

References: cf. Betz #68 (Africa); cf. Burden #256 (Americas).

Condition: A

A crisp impression on a bright, watermarked sheet with a hint of soiling, minor creasing along the centerfold, and professional repairs to a tiny hole adjacent to the title cartouche and to a few small chips and tears confined to the blank margins.