{"product_id":"map-of-the-world-earliest-map-of-world-to-show-currents-kirchner-1665","title":"Map of the World (Earliest Map of World to Show Currents) - Kircher 1665","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eTitle:\u003c\/b\u003e Tabula Geographico-Hydrographica Motus Oceani Currentes...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"5\" data-index-in-node=\"0\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eCartographer:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e Athanasius Kircher\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/b\u003e Amsterdam\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eDate:\u003c\/b\u003e c. 1665\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8\" data-index-in-node=\"0\" style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003eTechnique:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 0.875rem;\"\u003e Copperplate engraving with hand-colouring\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-path-to-node=\"9\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"9\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eMapping the Veins of the Earth\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"10\"\u003eIn the 1660s, the world was still a place of deep mystery. Athanasius Kircher believed that the Earth was a living organism and that the oceans functioned like a circulatory system. This map tells the story of his \"hydrographic\" theory: he believed that the world's oceans were connected by a series of subterranean tunnels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"11\"\u003eAccording to Kircher, water was swallowed by a massive whirlpool at the North Pole, filtered through the center of the Earth, and expelled at the South Pole. The swirling lines you see across the oceans are his attempt to visualize the great surface currents that mariners had begun to report. It is a breathtaking intersection of early science, theology, and pure imagination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-path-to-node=\"12\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"12\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eChronicles of the Map\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cul data-path-to-node=\"13\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eThe \"Unknown Southern Land\":\u003c\/b\u003e At the bottom of the map lies a massive, continuous landmass labeled \u003cb data-path-to-node=\"13,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"98\"\u003eTerra Australis Incognita\u003c\/b\u003e. This reflects the pre-Cook era belief that a giant continent must exist at the bottom of the world to keep the planet from tipping over.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"13,1,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"13,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eThe Heart of the Whirlpools:\u003c\/b\u003e Look closely at the coastlines; you will see small \"swirl\" icons. Kircher used these to mark the locations of massive oceanic abysses and \"burning mountains\" (volcanoes). He believed these were the intake and exhaust valves of the Earth's internal engine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"13,2,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"13,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eA Distorted New World:\u003c\/b\u003e North America (\u003ci data-path-to-node=\"13,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"38\"\u003eAmerica Septentrionalis\u003c\/i\u003e) is shown with a curious, widened shape, and California is correctly attached to the mainland—a rare choice for the mid-17th century when many Dutch mapmakers were still depicting it as an island.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"13,3,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"13,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eBaroque Grandeur:\u003c\/b\u003e The map is crowned by an elaborate title banner supported by two \"putti\" (cherubs) amidst floral garlands. This decorative flourish is typical of the high Baroque style, signaling that the map was a luxury object for the libraries of the European intellectual elite.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Treasures of the Orient","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43737663569985,"sku":null,"price":6000.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0572\/7125\/5105\/files\/5E6D6FA2-CE41-4D4A-A449-F2C5C224A3CB.jpg?v=1775291954","url":"https:\/\/treasuresoftheorient.com\/products\/map-of-the-world-earliest-map-of-world-to-show-currents-kirchner-1665","provider":"Treasures of the Orient","version":"1.0","type":"link"}