Asia - China, Korea; Verdussen - La Chine - 1725

Technical sheet

Title: La Chine. Map of China with provincial subdivisions, Korea, the island of Formosa and part of the Japanese archipelago.
Author: I. Peeters.
Engraver: Jacobus Harrewijn (1660–1727), attributed; plate not signed.
Draughtsman: I. Peeters.
Publisher: Juan Bautista Verdussen.
Place: Antwerp.
Era/Date: 1725.
Technique: Copper-engraved etching on copper, executed in aquaforte (etching) and burin, with period hand coloring at the borders and on some ornamental elements.
Support: Rag paper.
Dimensions: Sheet 19 × 20 cm; impression 15.5 × 13.5 cm.
Composition: Single plate with a central vertical fold; title within a cartouche with volutes at the upper right, decorative shield, graphical scale with double indication of distances and graduated frame. White verso, no printed text.

Description

Geographic map of China entitled La Chine, published in Antwerp in 1725. The depiction covers Chinese territory from the northern regions near Beijing down to the southern coast, including Canton and Macao, extending to part of Tonkin, to Korea, the island of Formosa, and the western sector of Japan.
The provinces are distinguished by dashed borders, underscored by a delicate yellow hand coloring. The river network structures the interior representation, with the Yellow River, indicated as “R. Jaune,” and numerous other waterways. The relief is rendered by small groups of mountains, while the main settlements are identified by architectural symbols. In the northwest sector there is a stretch of the Great Wall, depicted as a sequence of walls and towers.
Toponymy preserves historical names such as “Peking,” “Nanking,” “Canton” and “Macao.” Formosa is delineated off the southeastern coast; further north the Korean peninsula and some Japanese islands are shown. The Tropic of Cancer crosses the lower part of the map, accompanied by the related inscription.
In the upper right, the volute cartouche gathers the title and the distance scale, expressed in Chinese leagues and in leagues corresponding to an hour of walking. A colored shield completes the ornamental arrangement, sober and proportional to the small format.

Historical-artistic note

The map brings together in a compact composition administrative, hydrographic and topographic information. Attention to the provinces, urban centers and major rivers accompanies a representation that preserves the European historical forms of geographic names.
The Great Wall constitutes a distinctive element of the plate, while the presence of Macao, Formosa, Korea and Japan expands the reading to the coasts and islands of East Asia. The fine engraving line and selective coloring allow a substantial amount of information to remain legible within compact dimensions.

Condition Report

Map with slight yellowing, diffuse browning and scattered foxing stains, present on recto and verso. Central vertical crease marked, with browning and small signs of abrasion, particularly evident in the upper and lower margins. Wide margins on all four sides, with light creases and peripheral diagonal folds.
verso devoid of printed text, with transfer of the engraving and localized brown-green halos corresponding to some colored areas. Clear impression, toponymy well legible and coloring preserved.