Imperium Sinicum Quindecupartitum - Kircher 1670 (Map of China)

Fine early map of China, Korea and Japan, from the first edition of Kircher’s China Illustrata.

Kircher’s map of China, Korea and Japan is based on the work compiled by Jesuit Father Martino Martini. Father Martini’s map was gathered from Chinese sources between 1643 and 1650. The publication of the Martiini map greatly advanced European knowledge of the region including the correct locations of many cities and topographical features. The trade route between Canton and Peking is noted and the Great Wall and the Gobi Desert are both graphically pictured.

There were two editions of this map, this being the more decorative of the two, including images of 2 indigenous Chinese men and a more decorative title cartouche than the other edition.

From Kircher’s book on China; illustrates land & sea trade routes from Middle East to China. Athanasius Kircher (1601-1680) was one of the great scholars and travel writers of his time. A German born Jesuit scholar, he has been described as inventor, composer, geographer, geologist, Egyptologist, historian, adventurer, philosopher, proprietor of one of the first public museums, physicist, mathematician, naturalist, astronomer, archaeologist, and author of more than 40 published works. Kircher began teaching mathematics, ethics, and ancient languages at the University of Würzburg. In 1630 and 1637, Kircher petitioned to travel to China, but was unsuccessful in both requests, instead, his China Illustrata, first published in 1667, was a compilation of the most important works of the period, including Martino’s Atlas of China published by Blaeu (1655), and the Journals of Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), Alvaro Semedo (1586-1658), Michael Boym (1612-1659 and Melchisedech Thevenot.