CARTE DES ISLES DU IAPON ...
£295
Full title: Carte Des Isles Du Iapon Esquelles Est Remarque La Route Tant Par Mer Que Par Terre
This rare copper engraved antique map in French is by cartographer Jean Baptiste Tavernier. Published in 1692, it depicts Japan and its outlying islands. Though the rose compass orients the map to the north, Japan is shown as lying more west to east. Tavernier depicts many coastline cities and ports, and names the islands. Korea (Coray or Coreer) is described as an island, ‘Isle de Koray ou de Coreer’.
Five large oriental frigates sail the ‘Ocean Oriental’ and two tiny European ships embellish the lower left hand corner, at the base of the ‘Island of Korea’.
Good hand colour
Very good condition
code : M5312
Cartographer : Tavernier
Date : 1692 / 1700 Paris
Size : 21*32 cms
availability : Available
Price : £295
Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 -1689) was a French traveller and pioneer of trade with India. His his father Gabriel and uncle Melchior were established geographers and mapmakers, who had moved to Paris from Antwerp after the Spanish conquest of the city.
Tavenier first joined two French fathers, M. de Chapes and M. de St Liebau, who had received a mission to the Levant. He reached Constantinople early in 1631, where he spent eleven months, and then proceeded by Tokat, Erzerum and Erivan to Persia. His farthest point in this first journey was Isfahan. He returned by Baghdad, Aleppo, Alexandretta, Malta and Italy, and was again in Paris in 1633.
In September 1638 he began a second journey (1638-43) by Aleppo to Persia, then to India as far as Agra and Golkonda. His visited the court of the Emperor Shah Jahan and the diamond mines, a reconaissance which proved useful in later travels, in which Tavernier travelled as a merchant of the highest rank, trading in jewels and other precious wares, and finding his chief customers among the greatest princes of the East. Tavenier made 4 more trips to Asia. In his third (1643-49) he went as far as Java, and returned by the Cape.
In his last three journeys (1651-55, 1657-62, 1664-68), Tavenier did not travel beyond India. The details of these voyages are often obscure; but they completed an extraordinary knowledge of the routes of overland Eastern trade, and brought the now famous merchant into close and friendly communication with the greatest Oriental rulers.
